Little Blue Penguin

rom Christchurch

one of the better trips is around Banks Peninsula. Banks Peninsula is made up of the remnants of two basaltic volcanoes, Lyttleton and Akaroa, which became extinct about five and a half million years ago. Until the recent geological past this area was an island, but was joined to the mainland by the gradual eastward movement of the Canterbury Plains. Cook thought that Banks Peninsula was an island when he sailed past, but at this time it was already part of the mainland.

On your way make a stop at Riccarton or Deans Bush, three kilometres west of Cathedral Square, along Riccarton Road. This is the only remnant today of the swamp forest which once flourished around Christchurch and good examples can be seen here of totara, matai, kahikatea and rata with a good selection of regenerating growth.

From Riccarton take Highway 75 through Taitapu and Motukarara to Birdlings Flat at the north-cast corner of Lake Ellesmere, from where a detour to Lake Ellesmere is recommended. Its actual size varies considerably, depending on such factors as tides and inflow, from some 20,000 hectares to almost 24,000 hectares.

In keeping with its size, Lake Ellesmere is home to our largest populations of Canada geese, and black and white swans are found here along with countless ducks and waders. Some 158 species have been recorded at Ellesmere, of which 80 are regular users.

One of the names the local Ngai Tahu gave the lake was Te Kete Ikaa Rakaihautu, 'the food basket of Rakaihautu. They used the reeds and flax for weaving, the waters for transport and the mud for dyes. More importantly, as the kumara was at its southern limit and thus probably a marginal crop, they relied on the lake for much of their food, catching large numbers of eels, flounders and other fish. They also hunted birds,several to extinction, including the native swan, goose and Finsch’s duck.

From Ellesmere continue on around the peninsula to the French settlement of Akaroa on Akaroa Harbour. In the harbour Hector’s dolphin can often be found - it has the unenviable title of being the world's rarest marine dolphin. Being an inshore species it is especially vulnerable to being caught in set nets and an estimated one third of the population has died recently in the nets. In an effort to protect it some 1140 square kilometres around the peninsula have been declared a sanctuary.

The white-flippered penguin also occurs around Banks Peninsula. Opinion is divided as to whether this is a full species or merely a subspecies of the little blue penguin. After breeding it disperses to feeding grounds elsewhere and young birds have been found as far north as East Cape and as far south as Otago. Another bird worth watching for is the spotted shag, which breeds in crevices in the cliffs. Tours are available to see both dolphins and seabirds from Akaroa township.