6 Best Sights in Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula, Christchurch and Canterbury

The focus of historic interest is the Akaroa Museum, which has a display of Māori pounamu (greenstone) as well as alternating exhibits on the area's multicultural past. The peninsula supported a significant Māori population, and the collections and displays tell some of the exciting stories of Kai Tahu, the people of the land. The Old Courthouse, the old Custom House, and Langlois-Eteveneaux House, the two-room cottage of an early French settler, are also part of the museum.

Take the village walk, where you amble along the narrow streets past old-fashioned little cottages and historic buildings that reflect the area's multicultural background. If you are feeling more ambitious try the country walks on routes ranging from two hours to all day. For hikers, there are also 20 km (12½ miles) of well-mapped tracks from summit to sea level. Start at the Akaroa isite Information Centre and choose from a range of free brochures and maps to enhance your experience.

Named so because it looked like a giant's house to a visiting child, this grand old 1880 villa is full of art in unexpected places, all thanks to the long tenure of its mixed-media artist owner Josie Martin. Up the steep driveway hides a large garden crisscrossed by paths, fantastic larger-than-life mosaics, and colorful, welded sculptures.The garden has been endorsed as a New Zealand Garden of National Significance. The garden café, The Artist's Palate, serves light homemade lunches and afternoon tea. 

The contrast of the rim of the old volcanic cone and the coves below is striking—and when you drop into one of the coves, you'll probably feel like you've found your own little corner of the world. One of the easiest bays to access is Okains Bay. Take the Summit Road at Hilltop if approaching from Christchurch or Ngaio Point Road behind Duvauchelle if approaching from Akaroa. It's about 24 km (15 miles) from Akaroa and takes about a half hour to drive. The small settlement lies at the bottom of Okains Bay Road, which ends at a beach sheltered by tall headlands.

This collection of buildings contains 20,000 Māori and 19th-century colonial artifacts, including waka used in Waitangi Day celebrations and displays such as a smithy and print shop. There are also a wharenui (Māori meetinghouse), colonial homes, including a totara slab cottage, and a saddlery and harness shop. If you happen to be in the area on Waitangi Day (February 6), New Zealand's national day, the museum marks it in style. 

State Highway 75 leads from Christchurch out onto the peninsula, curving along the southern portion past Lake Ellesmere. There are interesting stops on your way out to Akaroa. The small town of Little River used to be the end of the line for a now-defunct railway that ran from Christchurch; the route is now a walkway and bicycle trail. The old, wooden train station houses a crafts gallery and information office, and a café is next door in the grocery store. Look out for SiloStay ( www.silostay.kiwi.nz), where grain silos have been cleverly transformed into eco-accommodation units called Silococoons. When you reach Hilltop, pause for your first glimpse of Akaroa Harbour; on a sunny day it's magnificent. (At Hilltop the highway crosses the Summit Road, the other major route through the peninsula.)