Day 8 – 10 (February 04 - 06) Mangamaunu, Banks Peninsula, Akaroa

Day 8

It was another sunny day with 30 degrees. In the morning, Tim went surfing in Mangamaunu for the last time, but the surf wasn't really good. Unfortunately, there was no expected point break at this spot. But Tim was at least happy to be in the water.

In the afternoon, we continued our journey to Banks Peninsula, a peninsula southeast of Christchurch. We made a short baby feeding stop in a wine-growing area (It was 35 degrees in the valley. It was scorching hot in the caravan and we were all sweating like crazy.). Somehow, the day went by quickly due to the drive and a larger shopping stop. In the evening, we arrived at Banks Peninsula and spent the night at a viewpoint (the restaurant car park of Hilltop Tavern - freedom camping). Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed, so we didn't get the longed-for pizza, but the view of the Akaroa Bay (although initially covered in clouds) was unbeatable. Unfortunately, the weather and temperatures on the way here quickly changed - it was only 10 degrees here and it started raining and storming. It was actually quite stupid of us to choose a sleeping place on a mountain with this weather forecast. Well, now we know that our mobile home can withstand rain and storm.

Day 9

The next morning, the bad weather was forgotten and we could enjoy the pure view of the bay with light clouds. Beautiful. There were sheep standing next to us, which Mattis greeted with a friendly "baa". Overall, there are countless sheep in New Zealand on every hill and mountain.

We wanted to explore the town of Akaroa. Today, we realized that everything takes longer and is not really predictable with children. Mattis had a proper tantrum during breakfast because apparently there wasn't enough jam on his bread. He couldn't calm down for ages. Man oh man.

When we arrived in Akaroa, we visited the lighthouse and enjoyed the view of the coastal town. Since both children were asleep at the same time, Tim and I took the opportunity to sit in a French cafe with delicious pastries. Ah, it was nice. We quickly felt guilty for leaving the kids alone in the motorhome, after all, the motorhome was parked a bit away.

Akaroa is a beautiful little town with a French touch (You can tell that the first French settlers arrived here and had an influence.). You can find French shops, French street names, and French delicacies. The beautiful old wooden houses reminded us of the American East Coast. Many sailing ships were anchored in the bay.

We later drove over some mountains to enjoy the views of the different bays. In the evening, we had pizza in Akaroa. The 2 pizzas were super tasty and worth their $50 (€30) (The price was also rather cheap for New Zealand).

In the evening, we slept for $30 for the first time at a campsite on the outskirts of Akaroa, the Onuku Farm Hostel. The way here went up a steep mountain and was quite narrow, winding, and adventurous. No one with a camper should have come towards us. But it was worth it. When we arrived, we felt like we were in an oasis, a paradise. The silence, the birds singing, the scent of nature, sheep, and chickens. Everything was lovingly built in the hostel farm style. From the site, we had a view of the bay again.

We were most looking forward to a shower again - a really hot one. The last proper shower was at the Commodore Hotel. After that, there was only an outdoor cold shower in Kaikoura.

Day 10

We like the campsite so much that we decide to stay here today and explore the area. The day promised to be sunny and beautiful again. We enjoyed our breakfast under a tree. There were free-range chickens running around us. Mattis found it really exciting to try to chase and catch the chickens.

When Tim was at the reception with Mattis and Lea and I was busy doing laundry, Mattis suddenly disappeared. Tim got slightly panicked (which hardly ever happens) and we searched together. Suddenly, Mattis was back as if nothing had happened. We still don't know where he was. Phew!

In the afternoon, we went on our first hike of this trip - the Reserve Walk along the coast of Akaroa Bay. The route started right at the campsite and we hiked approximately 15 km in 3 hours. Lea slept in the carrier, and Mattis eventually fell asleep in the child carrier as well. The view over the bay and the cliffs was truly breathtaking. Along the way, we passed by sheep and cows. My highlight was the rainforest at the end of the route, through which we hiked with considerable effort.

In the early evening, while preparing dinner, we met a nice family with two children. Mattis played with their 1.5-year-old son Marc and the other children at the campsite, catching chickens. Mattis was really happy to have other children to play with. The evening got quite chilly and it started to rain lightly from time to time. But that didn't bother anyone here. It was a beautiful evening.