Leonie and I snuck away to Banks Peninsula to make the most of our remaining holiday before our flight back to the land of sausage. The weather was deliciously warm and it felt like midsummer… which was quite fitting as it was midsummer.
We cruised up to the Summit Road first and went for a little walk along the Crater Rim Walkway before driving out to Little River, consuming ice cream and continuing to Akaroa, stopping briefly to skinny dip at a beach along the way. We had a poke around Akaroa and another swim before heading up Long Bays road and finding a place to camp at Ōtepatotu Scenic Reserve. We found a great spot to camp in the long grass and fired up the little gas cooker and made ourselves a feast (three coloured pasta with a delicious paprika, courgette, sweet potato, everything sauce). The sunset was awesome and I happily snapped away with my SLR taking longer and longer exposures as the evening progressed. The stary sky was amazing (just as amazing as earlier in the trip down South) and once the moon began to rise the hills were lit with a pale golden light.
We went for a run in Hinewai reserve the following day and ended up at the beach there. We hopped and scolded our way across the scorching sand for another skinny dip in which a crab became very interested in the dangly thing between my legs. Avoiding catastrophe narrowly we went and scrambled around the rocks for a bit and met a lazy seal. A hot run back up the hill and we were heading back to Christchurch.
Above left: First we went for a short walk along the Crater Rim Walkway beside the Summit Road. Above middle: This fellow wanted his nose polished. Above right: Leonie and a lighthouse in Akaroa.
Above left: Making a splash in Akaroa. Above right: A nice view out across the peninsula from the end of Long Bays road.
Above left: Sunset from our campsite at Otepotato. Actually it’s called Ōtepatotu Scenic Reserve but for historic reasons I prefer to call it Otepotato. There’s some rock climbing there and some time some years ago Simon, Gina, and I went for a day of climbing there. Above right: Moonrise at our campsite at Ōtepatotu Scenic Reserve. Note the shooting star and the Milky Way.
Above left: Sunrise in the morning from Otepotato. Above right: Leonie and Cris at sunrise (Ōtepatotu Scenic Reserve).
Above left: We went for a run through Hinewai reserve down to the sea. Leonie’s in the little bit of bush that has beach trees in it. Very nice. Above right: Leonie at the seaside.
Above: Leonie and her friend Mr Seal who we found lazing on the rocks. He has bigger teeth than I do. I should know, he showed me them.