Since we had the rental car for an additional day, we decided to head down around Bank’s peninsula and visit Akaroa.

Akaroa is where the French first settled in New Zealand. And, the town is known for feeling fantastically French. But, to me, it didn’t really.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved it there. It’s a quaint sea-side village. It’s got a lovely pier, some fun activities, and great cafes. But is Akaroa French? Well, no. Not unless you count the few French flags we saw flying.

The drive down from Christchurch was about 1 ½ hours. There wasn’t a single spot on the way where I thought, “Wow…it’s not so pretty here.”

In fact the whole drive was filled with ooos and ahhhs about how amazingly gorgeous it is here in New Zealand.

On the way into town there’s a cheese shop (Barry’s Bay Cheese). So we stopped in for a taste. And, of course, we walked away with a lovely hunk to enjoy later as well.

We spent the afternoon walking the town. Jonathan even got his portrait painted.

We walked along the beach, which is gorgeous. But, it was also a bit sad. We couldn’t take a step without breaking seashells. There are just so many lining the beach.

Driving back, we saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. I can’t even put it into words for you. It was hard to tell where the ocean met the sky.

In looking through our pictures, I want to post them all. So, go check out our album on Facebook. You’ll be glad you did.