Met for breakfast at 8:30 and walked down to the waterfront. Akaroa itself is in the middle of a volcanic crater where one side blew out letting the Pacific in. It’s used as a huge cruise ship port in the summer with 5,000 people descending and being taken on buses to Christchurch and elsewhere. Shame since it’s a lovely little city on a nice bay. Had breakfast and then walked around taking pictures until we loaded up and left at about 10:30. We didn’t get to Kaikoura until a bit after 5:00 given stops along the way for pictures, lunch, potty stop, and the fact that the main road to Kaikoura along the coast had been knocked out by the earthquake last year and is only accessible one-way on certain days. We can take it when we go back to Christchurch tomorrow.
So, not much more to say other than we saw some amazing scenery along the way and experienced long and winding and new and temporary roads to get here inland which reflects how far the earthquake’s damage was. In town here, many buildings wiped out or under reconstruction. Had dinner at mediocre Thai restaurant. Back at motel about 9:00.
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