Akaroa, New Zealand... The Fox II Sailboat

Akaroa, New Zealand is a little town out on the peninsula below Christchurch.  They also call this area the Banks Peninsula.  On the map below, the yellow area is Akaroa and Christchurch is above that.  It takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get there.  The roads here are narrow and windy so it takes longer to get places than you would think by just looking on a map.  For reference, we have been as far north and west as Westport and down the West Coast side during our Southern Tour.  The most recent earthquake in November 2016 was in Kaikoura, which is the furthest large town (but really not very large) on the Eastern side of this map.  The road along the east coast up to the tip of the South Island (Highway 1) has been closed until the end of 2017 due to the recent earthquake.  The road has disappeared or been damaged along this stretch and a much longer, inland route to the top has to be taken.

We had been looking forward to going out to Akaroa since we had gotten to Christchurch.  We told the girls we had a surprise for them on Saturday so they needed to do school work on Saturday so they could have Monday off.  Our surprise was a ride on this cool sailboat called the Fox II.  Kayla had been so jealous and obsessed with a large sailboat in Mildford Sound we wanted to go on this boat that was a smaller version of the one we had seen that day.  It was great because it was smaller and more personal.  Halfway through we even got some great hot chocolate and biscuits (cookies) and the man that owned the boat was American so we had NO trouble understanding all of his commentary on our tour and he gave great history and information on the area.  He made you feel like an old friend and the boat crew was so nice.  Highly recommend the Fox II if you ever find yourself in Akaroa.

 

The Fox II

The water was so blue and beautiful.  It was a beautiful day to be on the ocean.

LOOK AT HOW BLUE THE WATER IS!!!

Link to Sailing on the Fox II Video 1

It wasn't long before we spotted a few dolphins.  He stopped when we spotted them and he turned on this soft pretty music.  They loved the music and more came swimming up to the boat.  You could tell they loved the music and the sound/vibrations in the water because it was like they came to dance.

They stuck around for a long time.  We probably sat there for 20 minutes and eventually he drove along and they followed us for a while.  They are such beautiful and curious creatures.

Link to Dolphins on the Fox II Video 1

Not much further, we spotted a big seal on the rocks.  Can you spot him?  He has his nose in the air.  Mostly, you see them lounging and laying down so it was fun to see this one with his nose up high and moving his head around.

Link to Swimming Seals Video

The girls were loving the sailboat and the beautiful water and scenery

Link to Dolphins on the Fox II Video 2

Link to Sailing on the Fox II Video 2

We drove into this cove that was kind of a cave.  It was called Cathedral Cave.  As we got inside (I almost felt like the top of the sails would hit the upper wall) he turned on his music again and you could her and feel the amazing acoustics.  It was beautiful.

Link to Cathedral Cave Video 1

Link to Cathedral Cave Video 2

This is called Elephant rock (above)..  Can you see how it looks like an Elephant?  The trunk is in the water...

Ava is wayfinding!!

Link to Ava's Haka Dance Video

Loved our day on the Fox II.  It was a great way to spend 3 hours in Akaroa Bay

The Catlins Coast... Waipapa Point

The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions. It includes the South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point.

A rugged, sparsely populated area, the Catlins features a scenic coastal landscape and dense temperate rainforest, both of which harbour many endangered species of birds, most notably the rare yellow-eyed penguin. The coast attracts numerous marine mammals, among them New Zealand fur seals and Hooker's sea lions. In general terms the area enjoys a maritime temperate climate. Its exposed location leads to its frequently wild weather and heavy ocean swells, which are an attraction to big-wave surfers, and have also caused numerous shipwrecks.

After our lunch stop in Invercargill, we headed further south to see some sights along the Catlins Coast. There was more to see and do than we had time or energy to do, so we just did what we could.  Our first stop was Waipapa Point.  There was a beautful lighthouse there.  

The coastline of the Catlins is notoriously dangerous, and there have been many shipwrecks in the region. The most notable of these, and also one of New Zealand's worst shipping disasters, was the wreck of the passenger steamer Tararua, en route from Port Chalmers to Melbourne via Bluff, which foundered off Waipapa Point on 29 April 1881 with the loss of all but 20 of the 151 people aboard.

Waipapa Point lies in the far southwest of the Catlins.

A lighthouse was built on the point in response to the tragedy; it began operating in 1884. With its sibling, the retired Kaipara North Head lighthouse, this was one of the last two wooden lighthouses built in New Zealand. It is still active, and was automated in 1976.

It was very beautiful but extremely winding when we were there.  We walked around the lighthouse and down off the edge to explore the beach area.  We had seen a sea lion from the top and wanted a better look at it so we went down to get a close up and see the waves and look for rocks and shells.

Love this picture.  You can see Kayla's ponytail whipping in the wind.

There is a seal in the background.  This one surprised us.  We didn't even know this one was here until we nearly walked up on it.  They are so sleepy.  They don't even move when you are walking around them.  This one looked especially dead.  We saw it's feet moving so we knew it wasn't, but it looked very sunken in.

When we got around to the side of the point that had real sand and not just rocks the wind was really blowing.  This was a memorable place because the wind was blowing so hard that the sand was blowing really hard on our ankles and legs.  It was like pins jabbing into your legs.  It hurt so bad.  You can tell how uncomfortable we were in the pictures of Ava.  Her face tells the story.  So funny!!

We found some better looking sea lions on this side of the point.  Alyssa got in close for a picture.