Akaroa, Dunedin and the New Zealand Fjords!

 We tendered to Akaroa from the ship on December 8th.  Akaroa is a quaint little tourist town on the south island of New Zealand.   Since a major 6.2 earthquake hit about 6 miles southeast of the city center of Christchurch in 2011,  cruise ships have had to stop at other major seaports.  Our ship ported at Akaroa about an hour and a half drive away.

 We checked out the little town and walked around as we waited for our tour to Christchurch and the Banks Peninsula.

 Here is our ship from the port of Akaroa.  We tendered about 20 minutes to the port.

 The scenery on the drive to Christchurch was so green and beautiful.  The sheep scattered on the green hillsides created an idyllic scene.  It was really much more gorgeous than these pictures or my words can describe.

 We spent a few minutes in this beautiful museum and the botanical gardens next door. Nearby were a couple of prep schools.

 It was fun to see the punting boats in the narrow stream that ran through the gardens just like in Cambridge England.

 We drove to the mountain to overlook the city of Christchurch and then we had a little free time in the city center where we witnessed the devastation of the earthquake and the rebuilding of the city.

 We had our lunch in a little café in the corner of the amazing new library and enjoyed walking through the theatre district and other areas where the city is being rebuilt.

 Below are white chairs lined up. There is one chair for each of the 185 people who died in the 2011 earthquake.  There were more earthquakes in 2016 but due to better reconstruction practices, the damage wasn't nearly as devastating.

Back into the little village of Akaroa,  we see folks walking along the beautiful bay.  This quaint little place is a favorite summer retreat for many people.  We agreed, it is delightful.

We docked in Port Chalmers and made the short drive to Dunedin. The New Zealand city at the head of the Otago Harbour and Otago Peninsula is known for its Scottish and Maori heritage, Victorian and Edwardian architecture and a large student population.

 The amazingly beautiful train station with it's manicured gardens is one of the highlights of the city.

After driving through the city, we drove out through the countryside to the Otago Peninsula.

This cute little building is the littlest post office in New Zealand.

 I finally got a photo of the famous flax plant that the local natives used for so many things.  They were very resourceful and didn't waste anything.  Below is another one of the beautiful buildings that were prominent in Dunedin sometimes called the Edinburgh of the south.

 Then we drove through the farms with their cattle and mostly sheep until we reached a secluded beach.  That beach is where we saw one of the huge New Zealand sea lions.

 There he is in the water at quite a long distance.  We were thrilled when he came out of the water so we could get a few photos.

He was definitely big.  We missed seeing the yellow-eyed penguins that nest at another secluded beach.  However, we were very happy seeing the sea lion in his native habitat!

 The fjords of New Zealand went by several different names--Dusky Fjord, Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound.  Nevertheless they were spectacular and reminded us of our experience in the Norweigian fjords or Alaska.  This day of sailing through the fjords was a pleasant surprise for us as we had not researched this part of our cruise itinerary.

 The New Zealand fjords were a delightful bonus at the end of a beautiful sailing.  We loved New Zealand and the friendly people who live there.  After seeing the fjords, we spent two days at sea returning to Sydney, Australia.  The Tasman Sea we crossed can be a bit rough but we survived just fine by wearing our acupressure sea bands.  It was all worth it!