Around the Bays- Pigeon Bay

Banks Peninsula comprises of two extinct volcanoes which were active less than half a million years ago. The two craters have since enlarged many times their original size due to erosion and water flow, then around 15,000 years ago when the sea level rose dramatically, the craters were flooded, these now form the two main harbours of Akaroa & Lyttelton. Many smaller bays & coves indent the remainder of the coastline.

The Summit Road, a very popular “Tourist Drive” runs around the Akaroa crater rim affording spectacular views of the harbour and surrounding valleys and ridges. There is also a Summit Road around the Lyttleton Harbour; we are leaving that side of the peninsula for another time.

Two days after the snow fall we thought it would be safe enough to travel the summit road and visit some of the bays on the northern side of the peninsula. We stopped at The Hilltop, a hotel & cafe at the top of the long climb (from both directions; Christchurch & Akaroa) A light covering of snow still lay on the ground and the surrounding peaks. We started along Summit Road and straight away became concerned at the possibility of black ice. In fact this wasn’t black it was just plain old ice (bottom left), sheltered from the elements it had started to melt and then refroze. We eased our way through it carefully and were then relived to see that most of the snow had melted further on.

There were many vantage points along the road to check out the spectacular views of the harbour and bays down below, including Duvauchelle Bay and our camp ground.

Our first port of call was Pigeon Bay, the road dropping sharply down to the bay from the Summit Road. The roads down to the bays may only be 6-8kms long but they take a while to navigate. Steep, narrow & with dozens of hairpin bends you have to take your time & hope that you don’t meet anybody coming up.

Pigeon Bay is a small settlement, just a few baches & farm buildings at the head of the bay. Oh and a church. We drove around to the end of the road where we could see a jetty & some boat sheds, coming across this deserted camping ground on the way. It was like stepping back into the 1970s with these closed up old retro caravans, an overgrown tennis court complete with rusty fence, an old wash tub set up with wringer in the centre, concrete table & chairs arranged to watch the sunset and a notice board informing us we could stay for $10 a night. I’m sure in the summer time this place would be pumping but today it was deserted, it was quite eerie wandering about. Like everybody had been nuked! 

At least the boat club had a decent building but still nobody about, the holiday home right on the side of the road looking straight down the bay was closed up, we were tempted to sit and have our lunch in their Cape Cod chairs but thought better of it.

Instead of heading back up the road out of Pigeon Bay, David drove around to the otherside of the bay, the camp caretaker, Glen, had told him about a road that would take us out to the head of the bay on the west side. The road we were on continued on all the way through to Port Levy, it was another narrow, steep & winding road and not recommended for motorhomes or towing.

After a few kilometres we turned off onto a gravel road, actually more of a gravel track. It climbed steeply up the side of ridge, with a sheer drop on the drivers side down into the valley below. This is at the top looking back towards Pigeon Bay settlement at the end of the bay, the jetty and boat sheds are across the water.  I spied this house out on the point, what a fabulous place to live, looking straight down the bay.

Once on the top we weaved our way back & forward across farm land crossing many cattle stops heading for the small point we could see ahead of us.

As we got nearer we realised that there was a tiny sheltered cove with farm buildings on the left of the point. This bay is called Little Pigeon Bay. We stopped at the top of the road just through the gates. Even though it was a public road we didn’t want to disturb the people we could see down at a house near the beach getting ready to go sailing.

The view over Pigeon Bay to Wakaroa Point was breathtaking. Right along the otherside we could see the tiny track of the Pigeon Bay Walkway which is a five hour return walk through farmland out to the point.

Looking back towards Pigeon Bay settlement, with mussel floats from a mussel farm in the waters below.

After a short while we headed back up the road passing the young farmer & his wife driving in. Luckily they were at the top of the steep road otherwise that would have been fun. No passing, a 100 metre drop & him with a trailer on the back. He told us the house at the beach was a bach & was rented out for holidays. We passed a large homestead along the way, all closed up and overgrown but not that old, well probably 1950ish but still in good condition. We’ve seen a few like this on our travels, obviously just too far away from civilization.

This sheep must have one of the best views in New Zealand. In the background you can see the walkway track cutting through the slope just up from the water.

After safely negotiating the steep road again, this time with me on the scary side, we stopped in the valley to watch dozens of wood pigeons (kereru) in a feeding frenzy amongst the flowering tree lucerne. Great big bumble footed clumsy birds jumping from bush to bush bending the tiny supple branches over under their weight. Pigeon Bay of course!

Bird on a Wire

Selwyn Huts & Akaroa

We took the long way to Banks Peninsula, driving to the end of the road on the south side of Lake Ellesmere, a huge shallow lagoon separated from the ocean by an 18km long spit. There are two tiny fishing crib(bach) settlements near the end; Selwyn Huts & Lower Selwyn Huts. Here the ramshackle stand alongside the cute & tidy. Many of the “huts” are lived in full time & although it looks like an idyllic lifestyle I am sure many of the people are refugees from the Christchurch ‘quakes. The post man sure has an easy job!

We provided the daily entertainment for some of the residents who were sitting outside soaking up the sun as we slowly passed through the villages with our home on the back. We were quietly hoping there was going to be a turning circle at the end of the road otherwise we’d have been backing into one of their drives! There was, so we parked up and had some lunch....

.....before walking down a track on the river bank, surrounded by native plantings and wetlands, right to the end which overlooked Lake Ellesmere. This is looking towards Banks Peninsula.

Across the lake with Kaitorete Spit on the horizon; six Pied Shags preening & one pied shag pooing!

As we drove back through Selwyn Huts, we both liked this crib which we both thought would be a great fishing hut to have. Across the road and over the river bank, there are plenty of private jetties or whitebait stands belonging to the huts. A lot were set up with fire pits, deck chairs & tables.

We skirted right around the lake heading for Duvauchelle Camp Ground on Banks Peninsula arriving just before the sun dipped behind the range behind and giving me enough time to walk across to take some photos of the boatsheds in the setting sun.

Looking back towards the camp ground which is just across the road from the stony beach of Duvauchelle Bay.

The camp ground is another well run ship, this time by caretakers for the Christchurch City Council. There are quite a number of caravans with permanent rooms & conservatories attached, but no one living in them full time. The owners pay a yearly fee & must use them for at least 30 days during the year, paying the going nightly rate. There’s a large green with casual camping sites right around the perimeter. It must be a busy place in the summer and very communal with, I can imagine, all the children playing cricket or running around in the centre of the field. Other than one other couple on the first night, we have been the only people staying this past week although a few have arrived at the permanent sites yesterday for the start of the school holidays.

The snow arrived on the top of the hills around us the night we arrived and the next day was cold & grey. We drove around the bays to Akaroa, 9kms away, to have breakfast at The Brassiere. The town was virtually deserted, just a few tourists about & us.

After breakfast we took a tour along the waterfront past the sailing club and the old lighthouse which after it was decommissioned was moved in 1980 from Akaroa Heads to this inner harbour site.

I wanted to visit an historic church that was located on the shoreline further down the harbour towards the heads but we took the wrong road and ended up in a dead end. It was rather a coincidence to find a lost hat on the side of the road there. Someone’s red French beret, totally befitting that it be found near the former French settlement of Akaroa.

We turned back and located the correct road which went up and over a crest before dropping back down to the shoreline, the roads are very steep, winding and narrow all over the peninsula. In another tiny bay we found the small settlement of Onuku, once a thriving Maori settlement with it’s marae & tiny church the centre points of the community.

Onuku Church built in 1878.

A couple of days later (after we had done a little exploring- blogs still to come), I left David relaxing at the van while I went off for a few hours on a photo shooting expedition. It was a lovely sunny day & Akaroa (Maori for long harbour) looked stunning in the winter sunshine.

Akaroa wharf, where the nature watching tour boats leave from. Rare Hectors dolphins, NZ fur seals & White-flippered penguins (a sub-species of the Little Blue penguin & only found on Banks Peninsula) are all found within the harbour.

You can see a smattering of snow on the range up behind the town. In fact the blog header photo was taken up there before I dropped down to the harbour.

A Little Black shag (kawau) drying it’s wings on the edge of the wharf.

Wharfs End……looking across to French Farm Bay

Daly’s Wharf, Akaroa (built 1914)

And more boat sheds in Duvauchelle Bay, these ones are across the bay from the others.

 

 

The Weatherman Was Right

A break in the weather an hour ago revealed the first smattering of snow over the summit road. It is now as black out there as could be possible without it being night & hammering hail and wind against the van. The temperature gauge says 4 degrees but with the wind chill factor I'm sure it is minus something. We're in for a rough night, thank God for the diesel heaters, we're tucked up toasty warm inside.