Akaroa is a sheltered harbour town on the Banks Peninsula, about 80km from Christchurch. The harbour of the same name is a marine conservation area, formed to protect the endangered Hector's dolphin, which is a small mammal about a metre long. Akaroa almost became the first port for a French colony, after a French sea captain paid the local islanders for the land and went back home to fetch colonisers, in 1838. The British got news that the French intended to colonise the island, and beat the French vessel carrying the colonisers to the harbour by 11 days in 1840, and raised the British flag. Despite all these political machinations, the town has a distinctly French feel, with French names.
There are around 7,000 Hector's dolphins in the area, which are only found around South Island. They grow to around 1.4m in length and are grey with a black dorsal fin, and they love swimming around the prow of a fast moving boat. We saw lots of them, occasionally leaping out of the water.
We went on a sea catamaran with Mike and Suan, Mike's mother, and their two daughters and grandson, Aaron.
No comments:
Post a Comment