LINKS: Queenstown Glenorchy Remarkables drive Invercargill Stewart Island Dunedin Taeiri Gorge Oamaru Lake Tekapo Akaroa		Monday March 5 Akaroa Now this is a little bit of NZ history that took me by surprise - Akaroa actually has street names with the French designation of  'Rue', rather than 'Street'. Back in the 1830s, it seems that French traders thought they had done a land deal with local Maoris, but by the time they returned to claim their purchase, the Treaty of Waitangi had been signed, ceding control of New Zealand to Britain. Nonetheless, the French settlers opted to stay on, and traces of French culture remain strong today, with some streets retaining the “rue” designation.
		It really is quite remote here, although probably only 50 or so kilometres from Christchurch. And yes, it was very pretty – probably the weekend destination of choice for people from Christchurch. Tuesday, 6 March, Christchurch airport below: fog and bad visibility on the tourist road back to Christchurch (and note the lack of Armco!)..
		The cloud/fog/mist caught up with us after we decided to take the scenic route back up the peninsula this morning (above). I can only presume it would have been scenic – we couldn’t tell. Visibility was a bare few metres, so…. No photographs worth taking, and we decided against a second scenic section into Christchurch over Gebbes Gap and through Lyttelton. From the map, it looked equally challenging, but not much fun in fog. A quiet end to our few days holiday in NZ…