It’s always exciting to read what other people think of the Honda Gold Wing & Sidecar ride & of their visit to Akaroa. Tripadvisor is a great way to check out what people have liked (or not) & while no one enjoys getting negative feedback it does provide an opportunity to improve. So far so good!! We have had 4 excellent reviews & we aim to keep it that way even if sometimes we have to disappoint people by not being available. Fortunately Akaroa has lots of tours & activities & natural beauty for sightseeing.

Last week we had an issue with the rear tyre wearing down very quickly (all those corners) & trying to get a new one & someone able to fit it. The guys at Emoto were most helpful in sourcing the tyre & all our safety gear has come from them too. After an anxious wait & some down time the tyre arrived but no one could fit it for a week. Fortunately Don at PitLane at Darfield was able to do the job with Richard’s help & he was back in Akaroa just in time to take two Lancashire ladies who had been waiting two days for his return. They were most entertaining…”Where the Hell have you been?” was their first question to Richard. They really wanted that ride & boy are we pleased it was everything  they expected & more. Yes ladies you were a challenge & a delightful one at that!

thunderstorms over Akaroa Harbour heads

Want to know what the weather will be like around Banks Peninsula & the Akaroa Harbour? Check out this great link to Accuweather.

I’m guessing some of the satellites we saw last Friday night while we were stargazing at the Heritage Park with Craig & Giles are responsible for these forecasts & images. Craig & Giles will have the telescope set up on Fri & Sat nights & if you want to check whether or not the weather is suitable you can call on 027 3000 547. We took an English couple with us. Hayley wondered how she got to 34 without ever having seen through a telescope. Paul said he had no idea what to expect but certainly not a telescope of the size that was there. Our night skies are full of beautiful surprises & both times we have been up to take a look it has been well worth it. Just wrap up warmly!

What to do about the honeymoon?
Family & friends have gathered together sometimes from far away, to celebrate your marriage & after the celebration you leave on your honeymoon. Well that’s how it used to work.
Chances are you don’t get much time with everyone who comes to celebrate with you. A mini-moon is the perfect solution to balancing the need to wind down & relax after the wedding & making the time with your new spouse a special time to remember yet spending time with the people who have come from far away to be with you.
A couple of nights after the wedding for just you & your spouse & then you can go back to visit everyone else refreshed & relaxed & enjoy their company without the tension & last minute preparations of the wedding.
At just over an hour from CHC Akaroa & the surrounding bays are perfect destinations for mini-moons & of course for longer honeymoons as well. So if you feel the need to get away after the wedding but don’t want to go far, Akaroa is a romantic paradise.
With a range of accommodation including specialist providers such as Matua Gardens Retreat, you’ll get a great start to married life. It’s also the ideal gift & vouchers are available.

activities, accommodation, cruise ships & music festival for Christchurch & Akaroa.

A Classic Ride Hinda Goldwing & Sidecar tours overlooking Akaroa Harbour from Robinsons Bay

A Classic Ride has its first Trip Advisor review. Thanks Kathy. Really pleased you enjoyed your trip & found everything well done. We hope the rest of your New Zealand cruise on Radiance of the Seas was just as much fun.

The scenery around Akaroa Harbour is spectacular & Richard loves to tell people about the things that interest them. He doesn’t have a standard pre prepared commentary. He prefers to find out what peoples’ special interests are & point out relevant sights. Some people like to swap over from pillion to side car & they can do this at any time.

A Classic Ride is available on cruise ship days just off the end of the main wharf in Akaroa. If Richard is on a tour the blackboard with return times will be there. He takes $NZ, $AU, $US, Euro & GBP. If you want to use a credit card bookings can be made at the Akaroa Visitor Centre.

On days when there are no cruise ships in Akaroa,  A Classic Ride is available by booking on 03 3048946 or emailing sue@matuagardens.co.nz You can be collected from your Akaroa accommodation. If you would like to stay at Matua Gardens Retreat 5 star accommodation email sue@matuagardens.co.nz with your preferred dates & don’t forget to check out A Classic Ride on Facebook.

If you are staying in Christchurch & planning a day trip to Akaroa A Classic Ride is ideal for a scenic tour. The roads are steep & narrow & the driver of the car doesn’t always get to see the best of the scenery so A Classic Ride offers a chance to see it all without compromising safety. With views from the Kaikoura Ranges to the Canterbury Plains & Southern Alps out across the Pacific Ocean & of course the volcanic landscape of Banks Peninsula itself with the stunning turquoise water & myriad of little bays & inlets, there is much to see.

Like us on Facebook & see the special offer for fans on the info page

Kereru New Zealand native woodpigeon

Today I filmed a pair of kereru (New Zealand native woodpigeon) feeding in a cherry tree. In the back ground lots of birds can be heard calling including bellbirds. Click the link for the video to see & hear New Zealand native birds.. This is a small sample of the bird life you can expect to see around the luxurious Matua Gardens Retreat 5 star enviro-gold accommodation near Akaroa. Plantings close to the house encourage the birds to come in close.

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Matua Gardens Retreat 5 star luxury accommodation Robinsons Bay Akaroa Harbour. Specialising in Slow Food this boutique accommodation in the most eastern suburb of Christchurch just over 75km from the city, is the ultimate in romantic accommodation & dining.

Black Cat helping with cruise ships

Black Cat are helping out getting all the passengers from ship to shore & back. Today the forecast is for 26C & there are two big ships in The Radiance of the Seas & Pacific Dawn. It is  stunningly beautiful out there & we hope everyone has a great day enjoying the unique opportunities Akaroa has to offer. Swimming with one of the world’s smallest dolphins, A Classic Ride Honda Goldwing & Sidecar tours (the only one in NZ), Akaroa Museum, The Giants House, Barrys Bay Cheese , Akaroa Guided Walks & Shamarra Alpacca Farm Tours are all fantastic tastes of the tours and activities offered in & around this French inspired settlement & the Long Harbor (the English for Akaroa).

View over Robinsons Bay from the Summit Rd

Last week it was an 85 year old on A Classic Ride Honda Goldwing & Sidecar tours. This week it was a 98 year old, her sister & husband, who rode motorcycles delivering messages in WW2 so we are guessing he is somewhere between 84 & 100! These 3 delightful characters with a zest for life spotted the Goldwing in Akaroa today. They flagged Richard down & arranged to be collected from outside the Visitor Centre to go for a half hour jaunt around Akaroa before heading back to the Sun Princess. You are never too old to have fun & these 3 were having plenty of it. The 98 year old had been gliding just recently. With plans to live to 120 himself  Richard is seriously impressed with their attitudes! They thought the views of Akaroa were fantastic & one said “I bet a lot of our lot haven’t been up here”

The fact is that between 9 am & 4.30 pm there is available a maximum of 9 x 1/2hr  rides or 5 x 1 hr rides,  so off any one ship only about 18 or so people are ever going to be able to experience Akaroa from the seat of the Goldwing or the side car. It really is a unique tour.

Henry vacuum cleaner from Astro promotions

These guys deserve & big bouquet. On Tuesday Richard had the Goldwing in Akaroa. He parks outside the  Akaroa Village Inn so he asked the staff about their vacuum cleaners as our some what expensive state of the art technological wonder needed replacing after 6 years as the plastic has all become brittle & bits are falling off it!  He’d seen Henrys in use at the Village Inn & we saw them on Holland America cruise ships too. Later in the day Aroha of the Akaroa Village Inn sent Andrew the sales rep from Astro to talk to Richard between rides. Yesterday morning, by phone, I ordered a vacuum cleaner & some bags from Astro. It all arrived today by courier, no freight charge, extremely competitive pricing & Richard got really excited when he opened the parcel & found a cake of chocolate & bag of sweets as well. Good job & thanks! An absolute pleasure to deal with you from the rep to the office & Henry is doing his job & doing it well. He even has a smile on his face which makes me grin every time I look at him.