On recommendation from Geoff and Shelly (and with 2 of their sleeping bags in tow), we headed to Akaroa to do a 2-day hike on the Banks Peninsula (www.bankstrack.co.nz). We booked the trip on standby, boarded a shuttle downtown and crossed our fingers as the driver weaved his way up and over the hills of dormant volcanoes toward the harbor town of Akaroa, a French settlement an hour and a half east of Christchurch. Captain James Cook was the first to land here, mistakenly naming the peninsula Banks Island, not realizing that the gorgeous NZ South Island was attached to it! With a couple hours to kill before our shuttle to the Banks, we strolled through the gardens and shops and had a dinner of fresh fish and chips at the famed Akaroa Fish Shop. Yum!
The Banks Track is an amazing hike through privately owned farmland and reserve. The track and 4 huts are attended to by farmers who gain extra income from the fees paid by hikers. To maintain the pristine conditions of the track, it is closed to the public and only 16 people are allowed to do the hike at any one time. You can choose to walk the 35k in either 2 or 4-days. Being the super-fit athletes we are, of course the 2-day option was for us!
That evening, our shuttle took 16 hikers (12 doing 4-days, 4 doing 2-days) from Akaroa onto the peninsula and dropped us at the the first of 4 cabins. At the Onuku cabin, the 2-dayers had a detached hut with our own kitchen and 2 bedrooms. The property was beautifully landscaped and cabins were equipped with full kitchens, solar lighting, shared outhouses and very cool ‘stargazers’ (plexiglass sleeping huts with queen mattresses). We spent most of the evening in the 4-day hut, drinking wine around the wood-burning stove and getting to know the group. We met Amanda from Seattle and Nick from Detriot (2 couchsurfers touring NZ together), Dave and Sue from Chicago (who work seasonally in Montana Glacier NP and Antarctica during 24hr sunlight), other various British biddies (who dared to question our super-fitness!), and Chris and Rachel from Otago NZ (our 2-day tramping buddies).
From Onuku, Chris, Rachel, Josh and I started out early with a steep climb up to Look Out Rock. I was the brave one who climbed out for a photo. On our way up the hill, we took another marked detour to ‘the end’ of the ridge walk, all the while talking politics and religion. We had ‘morning tea’ and rested a bit at the top of the hill, but not long enough for all the 4-dayers to pass us!
We continued the 11k morning tramp through sheep paddocks along the coastal ridge with stunning views of the harbor. Then we got a chance to dive into the bush, detouring to several waterfalls and swimming holes before arriving at Flea Bay cottage.
At Flea Bay, Chris and Josh raided the fridge and purchased a couple beers on the honour system. Chris and Rachel introduced us to ‘baked bean toastie pies’ for lunch. As the 4-dayers arrived and unpacked their gear, we took off our shoes and sat on the porch drinking coffee and contemplating the 8ks left ahead. The boys grabbed another Tui (local beer) for the road and we made our way up from Flea Bay to the cliffs above the harbor. It was amazing to look back from where we’d come to see the waves crashing on the rocks and the dolphins and gulls playing in the bay below!
We continued up and down the coast, passing the red cliffs, the hole in the rock, and Pompeii’s Pillar in the sea. We paused to peer into the seal cave and caught glimpses of them resting on the rocks and twirling in the surf. We made another steep climb down the side of the cliff to Stoney Bay cottage, relieved to have finally found our refuge for the night!
At Stoney Bay, we were curtly greeted by some unhelpful ‘oldies’ who promptly pointed us to our hut. Luckily, we didn’t need to make any more friends and the accommodations were too luxurious to worry about it! Our hut had a kitchen, wood-stove, outdoor grill and sink. The shower in the tree was a neat (and necessary) experience – Josh said it felt a little ‘Gilligan’s Island’!
There was free coffee, tea and sugar available along with a stock of local beer, wine, farm-fresh steak, veggies and eggs, milk, yogurt, cereals and candy bars in the ‘wee shop’. We pooled our money for dinner and Chris was dubbed the master chef after making a gourmet meal of steak, eggs and chips. We shared 2 bottles of wine from the pantry and played a couple hands of hearts. After Chris and Rachel started the fire, we took turns in the ‘bathtubs under the stars’. No electricity here, but we blew out the candles pretty early anyway, as we were all spent!
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