An Alpacalyptic Day In Akaroa

February 16

We left a smoky Christchurch behind this morning. Nearby towns were fighting fires in the hills above the city as a brush fire started in the dry and windy conditions. We smelled smoke overnight and when we left town. Hopefully the firefighters extinguished the flames quickly with minimal damage to homes and businesses.

It was a lovely treat to talk with my friend Varsha in London while we were driving today. We pulled over on the side of the road as we came into Akaroa and shared the view with her.

Last night Mitch happened upon the Shamarra Alpaca website. We thought, why not, let’s get schooled and cuddle some alpacas on the Banks Peninsula.

Shamarra has about 170 alpacas on their farm. The males are kept separate from the females and a female is pregnant for 11 months, sometimes a year. Can you imagine, ladies? Rising Sun fathered over 250 babies (take that Nick Cannon). They love the cold weather, get shaved only once a year and are bred purely for their fleece. They are considered hypoallergenic due to their lack of lanolin.

Enough alpaca facts. These animals are adorable and sweet and boy are they lucky to have that amazing view. If they were sitting down we were allowed to pet and cuddle with them.

Their spit is supposedly horrific and worse than being kicked; thankfully we never found out. We petted the guys in the bachelor pad as they called it, and fed the ladies in their separate enclosure. Feeding time created lots of laughable, memorable moments.

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A fun and interesting experience for sure. We of course had to buy some scarves and beanies made from these playful guy’s soft fleece to remember them by.

We arrived in Akaroa around lunchtime.

Akaroa is a former French settlement founded in 1840 whose name means “long harbor.” It was meant to be an administrative center for the French annexation of the South Island but things didn’t work out for the French. What remains is a heavy French influence in Akaroa’s cuisine and street names.

Ma Maison in Akaroa did a riff on a Nicoise salad but instead of tuna, subbed in three types of salmon: raw, seared and smoked. Omg I died and went to salmon heaven.

After lunch we popped over to The Giant’s House, a terraced garden with huge mosaic sculptures. Aliza you would’ve loved this place! The artist, Josie Martin, is a painter and sculptor who has been working on the sculptures for 22 years and still lives in the house and tends to the gardens every day.

We skipped dinner and headed to the end of the pier in Childrens Bay, a short walk from our apartment, to watch the sunset over the Akaroa Harbor. Goodnight everyone.

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