WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN THE PENINSULA OF BANKS AND AKAROA

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Day 30-31: What to see and do on the Banks and Akaroa Peninsula

Focused on the Banks and Akaroa PeninsulaWe leave Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook, three of the places that have given us some of the most unforgettable moments of this trip to New Zealand in 36 days.

It's 8 in the morning when we leave Glentanner Holiday Park Mt. Cook, our last accommodation on Lake Pukaki saying goodbye to one of the most incredible landscapes we have seen and that has since become one of the places to see in New Zealand essential.

As we did in the previous post, in the case of the Banks and Akaroa Peninsula, the weather situation was more or less similar to the previous days, without the weather accompanying us too much, so we decided to concentrate everything we did and all the practical data in a single post to make it much easier to read and organize for any traveler.
This change of plans, according to the weather, is perfect and can be done by renting a motorhome in New Zealand something that allows you to have total freedom of movement and schedules, being able to manage the route and itineraries according to the weather or needs .
Remember that if you are interested in making a route through New Zealand by motorhome, we recommend you look at the Motorhome Republic page where you can see all the available motorhome options, prices and even make the reservation directly.

How to go to the Banks Peninsula

In this case, the ride from Mount Cook to the Banks Peninsula It took us almost 4:30 hours and 350 kilometers, which we traveled in practically all morning, enjoying unique landscapes, dotted with small towns, which made us more and more, remember that we were approaching that civilization that we had lost days ago in the entire Mount Cook area.
In our case we decided to spend two days in this area of New Zealand, something that we believe is ideal if you have this time, as this way you can enjoy a day to get to know Akaroa and another day to tour the beautiful Banks Peninsula.

What to see and do on the Banks Peninsula

Also known as Horomaka, the Banks Peninsula is another of the most visited places in New Zealand, first for the beauty of its landscapes and second for its proximity to Christchurch, something that makes it an incredibly attractive destination for both locals and tourists.
With a curious wheel shape, caused by two volcanic eruptions that took place more than 8 million years ago, Akaroa is the highlight of the Banks Peninsula and the place where we recommend you base if you want to enjoy a few days In this awesome place.

What to see and do in the Peninsula of Banks and Akaroa

Summit Road

Known for being one of the most beautiful roads in New Zealand, this road runs through some of the most impressive landscapes of the Banks Peninsula In addition to giving you the option of knowing, leaving the main road and passing through secondary roads, going down to one of the many bays formed by the eruptions we talked about previously.
In this case we recommend you start the route along the road through the furthest area of Akaroa (as if you came from Christchurch) to travel the most impressive section of descent, with the most spectacular landscapes in the front area.
Along Summit Road you will find several viewpoints, all of them impressive, in which we recommend you stop to see the immensity of the Banks Peninsula and as we mentioned earlier, its curious wheel shape, perfectly visible from the heights.

Views from Summit Road

The complete route of Summit Road, leaving from Akaroa is approximately 50 kilometers and will take you 1 hour to travel, although you must add at least one more hour for the stops and to be able to make the stretch with tranquility. Do not forget that there are areas where the road is quite narrow and has many curves, so it is important to drive with caution and at the time of making a stop always do so in areas indicated for it.

Landscapes of the Banks Peninsula

Christchurch Akaroa Road

Known for being another one of the things to do on the Banks Peninsula, road 75 or Christchurch Akaroa Road, is the road that you must take to get to Akaroa or to get to the starting point that we previously proposed to travel the Summit Road.
Although the road is much longer, the section that we really recommend is the one that goes from the beginning of the Summit Road to Akaroa, about 18 kilometers, which is the one that goes along the Banks Peninsula and gives printing images when passing in many moments practically beside the water.

Christchurch Akaroa Road

We recommend you also take this stretch with peace of mind, not because it is a complicated road, but because of the beauty of the area, which deserves to be captured without haste.

Bath with white-headed dolphins

Although this is something that we did not do, since we always support and encourage responsible tourism and in this case we did not have time to check if the agencies that carried out these activities were, we do not want to ignore the activity of the dolphin bath or cruise White-headed, the smallest dolphin in the world and also one of the rarest, endemic to New Zealand.
We leave you some of the activities you can do:

So we have been able to read all the agencies that carry out these activities, they carry them out in a responsible way, but please, before doing them, find out about it, since in this case we have not deepened the activity.

What to see and do in Akaroa

Akaroa It is without a doubt the icing on the places to see on the Banks Peninsula. Known for its meaning "long port" In Maori, Akaroa was the first French settlement in New Zealand and even today many of the descendants are still living here or still approaching the town on their vacations.
For breathe this will only take a few minutes as you will see how the streets and shops remember the French populations in a certain way and even in many of them they recreate even the names.

What to see and do in Akaroa

The town is not very big, but we recommend you spend a day to enjoy it, provided you have time. Among the things to do do not miss a walk through the center of the town, with the main artillery Rue Lavaud, full of shops and charming shops, tour the Rue Jolie and the Beach Road, parallel to the port where some are located of the most recommended restaurants and the Akaroa lighthouse.

Akaroa Harbor

If you want to enjoy a restaurant in Akaroa we recommend Murphy's On The Corner, famous for its fish and chips, in which we ask for a menu for two with two soft drinks for 22NZD.
Another of the most recommended restaurants is The Trading Rooms Restaurant and Pantry, where we had dinner one night squid and a rissotto with drinks for 60NZD.

Akaroa

More practical information to prepare your trip to New Zealand
- 10 essential tips for traveling to New Zealand
- 10 essential places to see in New Zealand
- The best travel insurance for New Zealand

Where to sleep?

Unlike other places in New Zealand, if there is something missing in Akaroa, it is accommodation. In this case, the choice will depend a lot on your situation:

In case you want to stay in a hotel, we recommend you choose the most central area of Akaroa, in order to move without the need for a vehicle. Find here the best hotels in Akaroa.
If you take a motorhome, as was our case, the best option is to stay at the Akaroa Holiday Park Top 10, a campsite with all the amenities, where you can stay in an area with electricity for 35NZD.
In addition, although it seems that it is far from the center of Akaroa, the campsite has an interior path from which you will reach the center in less than 10 minutes.

How many days do I need to see the Banks Peninsula and Akaroa

Although all things to see and do on the Banks Peninsula and Akaroa You can see, with some tranquility in one day, we recommend you choose to dedicate to this area two days to enjoy it with tranquility.
In case you only have two days, we recommend you stay one day in Akaroa and the other tour Summit Road and Christchurch Akaroa Road in addition to making a stop in one of the beautiful bays of the Banks Peninsula.
If you only have one day, you can tour the Christchurch Akaroa Road to get to Akaroa, visit the town and make the exit on Summit Road (although it is not the most appropriate since the views will be upside down), but that is the way more suitable to make the most of time.

Akaroa

Excursions

In addition to all things to do in the Akaroa Peninsula As we mentioned before, we leave you a selection of different options that can be a complement to fully enjoy one of the most incredible places in New Zealand or get here from other parts of the country if you do not want or do not have your own vehicle.

Tour from Christchurch through Akaroa full day with nature cruise
Akaroa Shore Excursion: Christchurch & Antarctic Center
2.5-hour cruise in the port of Akaroa
Akaroa: 4WD Safari and guided sea kayaking experience
More excursions on Mount Cook here