The harbour
Turquoise.
Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Daderot — CC0 · Daderot — CC0
Akaroa is a small town on a natural harbour of the same name on Banks Peninsula, south-east of Christchurch in New Zealand's South Island. The harbour sits inside the crater of an old Miocene volcano, ringed by high green hills that are what remains of it. Its Māori name means long harbour. French settlers named it Port Louis-Philippe after King Louis Philippe of France, and its streets still carry French names. It is about 84 km by road from Christchurch, at the end of State Highway 75, and visitors come for boat trips and dolphin watching. You see a wide turquoise harbour ringed by rolling green hills, sailboats moored off the town and a long wooden wharf. Coloured wooden houses and small churches line the shore, a grey stone memorial stands among palm trees, and gardens are in flower. It is about 40 km from Christchurch in a straight line, but the road winds round the hills. Boat trips on the harbour are paid.
Turquoise.
Long and wooden.
Coloured wood.
Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand
French settlers lived here and named it Port Louis-Philippe.
Boat trips, dolphin watching and walking the town.