Akaroa

Today we drove the Banks Pennisula to Akaroa. Akaroa is a small town along the Akaroa harbor. The town is one of the oldest in Canterbury, settled in 1840. It has a lot of French influence due to the French first setteling there. We got some yummy fish and chips then went on a scenic boat cruise to swim with the hector dolphins. Hector’s dolphins are the smallest and rarest marine dolphins in the world. They have distinct black facial markings, short stocky bodies and a dorsal fin shaped like a Mickey Mouse ear. They are endemic to New Zealand. They are a subspecies of the Māui's dolphin, which is critically endangered and has a very small population. Unfortunately, we weren't able to swim with the dolphins, but we were able to see a few for some fleeting glimpses (picture from the internet, not mine as they didn't stick around long enough for me to get a picture). We also saw some New Zealand fur seals.