Akaroa

We had the best day ever. It was completely unplanned and spur of the moment based on a picture we saw in a coffee table book in our fancy hotel room. Akaroa is a small town at the bottom of the crater of an extinct volcano. At some point the Pacific breeched the wall of the crater, came roaring in and formed a spectacular bay. We choose to take the scenic route around the top of the crater. It was one of the most terrifying rides of my life - winding, steep, narrow, 1000 ft. dropoffs with nothing between us and thin air but one of the best experiences ever. We were on the top of a ridge looking down into this beautiful bay on one side and out at the Pacific on the other. We took a boat trip out to the Pacific and saw two endangered species, the Hector's Dolphin (world's smallest dophin) and the Blue Penguin (also the world's smallest) as well as NZ fur seals and lots of birds. As the Kiwis say, "It was brilliant!"