Road Trips NEW ZEALAND: Akaroa & the Gorgeous Banks Peninsula

A little gem called “Diamond Harbour”

After a short breeze on the major highway, I entered the scenic section and soon decided to take the detour via Diamond Harbour. After all, what could not be spectacular about a place named “Diamond”….?

I would not be disappointed…​

The drive there was lovely and eventually opened into this:

yes….that’s what I thought – Wowww…….

And it would continue like this for the next few hours. A mezmerizing, ever changing waterfront scenery set against steep cliffs, rolling hills and gorgeous, turquoise blue water​.

Picture perfect – added by beautiful Indian Summer coloration, as if it wasn’t beautiful enough already…. Apparently, this year fall was unusually warm with temperatures in the 70s (22 C).

First came a small village named Charteris Bay picture postcard scenery everywhere.

Soon after, quaint little Diamond Harbour emerged like a vision and also offered a handful of cafes and bakeries with tasty local draft beer to strengthen the beauty drunken visitor for the adventures still to come – and they sure were adventures…..

I kept driving, stopping every few minutes to take in (and photograph) the amazing vistas (it is one of those drives….) and eventually reached a crossroad shortly after Port Levy with my GPS pointing up the hills to a small unsealed path, a so-called “stock road” (stock as in livestock). Wouldn’t really call it a “road” though….

The Adventure begins……

This little gravel path seemed to be the only option (save turning around and drive all the way back), so I decided to try my luck.

Just as a heads-up……if you want to explore New Zealand by car, you better get used to gravel roads. They are everywhere – for the most part in good condition – ​and the best, most spectacular scenery can usually be found there – this drive would be no exception….

Just when I started to wonder whether this was a one-way road since I didn’t see any space for 2 cars to pass and there was no security fence to protect from falling off the steep cliffs, my question was answered by an oncoming car racing around a corner and almost crashing into me – I had barely enough time to break.

Breaking takes a little ​longer on a gravel road…..:)

Somehow it all worked out… It’s amazing how little space you need to pass another car when you have to – and I continued on my way. There was hardly any traffic and I only met two cars on the entire drive.

As ​I said, it was WELL worth it because the scenery and remoteness were spectacular – no comparison to the regular highway people take to Akaroa.

See for yourself:

If you ever come this way – take heart and don’t miss this amazing stretch. Just don’t drink the famous local draft beer in Diamond Harbour or the mountain drive might be a bit challenging…:)

Eventually, I reached Pigeon Bay​ and from there – after crossing another collection of hills – rejoined the regular highway to Akaroa.

Akaroa – French charme with Kiwi flavor

This little town was certainly worth the effort. Charming with a strong French influence, it is absolutely gorgeous, nestled within a bay and studded with pretty historic homes, lovely eateries, and a yacht harbour.

And then there was this amazing place just outside of town:

Don’t miss the cheese tasting – the best cheese I’ve ever tasted…..absolutely sublime!​

From here I took the highway back to Christchurch – also a lovely drive, though no comparison to the scenic route​ of the first half.

There were many highlights on this drive, but if you love quiet places far away from busy civilization and clouds of tourists, the area around Diamond Harbour is the place to go.  It was serene, sublime and peaceful. Rarely, do I use all three words to describe a location, but it was certainly adequate here.

An amazing adventure – and I even graduated to my first flat tire…..

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