Banks Peninsula (The Chili Pot)

According to Maori lore, while Maui was fishing one day, so mighty was his struggle to reel in a giant stingray, his waka (canoe) capsized. It is his overturned boat that now forms the South Island while the captured stingray became the North Island.

Kyle, our Abel Tasman kayak guide, described the oddly positioned Banks Peninsula east of Christchurch on the South Island as a pot of chili from Maui's waka that landed upside down beside the boat.

Named Banks Peninsula by Captain Cook in recognition of his accompanying egotistical botanist, Joseph Banks, (the Chili Pot name never quite caught on...), the area is a sharp contrast in terrain from the flat, flat land of the Canterbury Plains. Formed by three volcanoes, the peninsula is constructed of tall green hills, deep valleys and small bays leading out to the Pacific ocean. It contends as some of the best scenery in all of NZ.




After the earthquake in Christchurch, Jenn and I are uncertain whether we are able to (or should) visit the peninsula. But the locals assure us all is well and things are safe, so we venture out for a look-see. We are so very glad we did.

Dotted in many of the small bays are towns — Robinson's Bay, Okains Bay, Duvauchelle, Le Bons Bay, and the larger (slightly) settlement of Akaroa.
Originally intended to be a French settlement — before the British put an end to that — Akaroa still maintains some of its French roots with quaint streets bearing French names and shops playing up the francophone theme.




Our biggest and most pleasant surprise is how undeveloped the town of Akaroa and the entire Peninsula region is. Being only an hour from Christchurch (the largest city on the South Island) we anticipate finding what we discovered on the Queen Charlotte Sounds — large holiday homes filling the landscape and bays. Instead, we find holiday homes, some of them large, in the small settlements, but overall a vastly unspoiled area with terrific views and a very relaxed atmosphere.

Our campsite sells us from the outset — located at the top of the hill and overlooking the harbor and Akaroa, it is small, has great amenities and the songs of bell birds in the trees, something you don't always hear once the stoats and possums move in.

We spend some time looking around the town, checking out the small galleries and shops and then sussing out any walks that might be good to do. We eat our dinner out on a picnic table at the campsite, amused by the "just arrived in NZ" British couple bickering as they try to figure out how to work their new camper van. Two and half months ago, that was us.

The view of the bay below, bathed in the orange glow of a sunset, diverts our attention. For a place we were uncertain about and that still gets a few small shakes, it has a remarkably peaceful energy.




"I think we should just stay here for the next few days," I say to Jenn.

She nods. "Fine with me."