Akaroa sits at the head of a deep harbour on Banks Peninsula, about two hours' drive southeast of Christchurch. It is the only place in New Zealand with a French colonial past: a small party of French settlers arrived here in 1840, just weeks after the Treaty of Waitangi, and found the British had already claimed sovereignty. The colonists stayed anyway, and their legacy lingers in street names like Rue Lavaud and Rue Jolie, in the weatherboard cottages with French-style shutters, and in a certain self-conscious Gallic charm that the town plays up for visitors.
The harbour is the main draw. It fills a volcanic crater and is unusually sheltered, with deep blue water and steep green hills rolling down to the water's edge. Hector's dolphins — the world's smallest and rarest dolphin — live here year-round, and swimming with them is the signature experience. The drive out from Christchurch along Summit Road, with its panoramic views over the peninsula and the Canterbury Plains, is worth doing slowly.
Akaroa is small enough to walk end to end in twenty minutes. The waterfront has cafes, a few galleries, and a good fish-and-chip shop. Up the hill, The Giants House is a remarkable mosaic sculpture garden that justifies a visit in its own right. It makes an easy day trip from Christchurch but rewards an overnight stay — once the day-trippers leave, the town settles into something genuinely quiet.