Just a 25 minute drive from Akaroa, this sheltered bay is known for its calm waters, gentle beaches, and peaceful rural feel. It’s ideal for swimming, kayaking, picnics, and family-friendly days by the sea, with space to spread out and unwind.
Pigeon Bay offers simple pleasures and space to truly relax.
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30 Minutes from Akaroa and set at the head of its own wide bay, Little Akaloa offers a long sandy beach, calm waters, and open skies that seem to stretch forever.
It’s a favourite spot for swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, and relaxed family days, with plenty of room to spread out even in summer.
Facing the open ocean, this dramatic bay is known for its powerful surf, wide pebble beach, and ever-changing skies. It’s a favourite with surfers, photographers, and anyone who loves a landscape that feels raw and alive.
Ōkains Bay is also home to the historic Ōkains Bay Museum, offering a fascinating glimpse into early Māori and European history in the region.
Named for its beautiful bell-like song, the bellbird is often heard before it’s seen. With olive-green plumage and a graceful presence among native trees, these birds are frequent visitors to gardens, bush tracks, and coastal walks.
Like tūī, they feed on nectar, fruit, and insects, and play an important role in pollinating native plants.
With its bright blue wings, warm chestnut tones, and sharp watchful stare, the kingfisher is a striking sight around Akaroa and the bays.
Despite the name, they don’t just fish, they also hunt insects, lizards, and small crabs, diving swiftly from their perch with impressive accuracy. You’ll often hear their sharp call before you see them flash past.
These pocket-sized locals are found around Akaroa and the bays, spending their days fishing at sea and returning to shore under cover of dusk. Their slate-blue feathers and white-edged flippers give them their name, but it’s their evening waddle back to nesting sites that really steals hearts.
Because they are vulnerable on land, especially at night, it’s important to keep dogs leashed, lights low, and give them plenty of space.
Bold, noisy, and full of character, the oystercatcher is a familiar sight along the shores of Akaroa and the bays.
Easily recognised by their long bright red bill, pink legs, and sharp piping call, oystercatchers patrol beaches and estuaries in search of shellfish, worms, and crabs. They nest on open sand and gravel, blending in remarkably well, so it’s important to watch your step and keep dogs under close control, especially during breeding season.
Known for their fanned tail and quick, fluttering flight, fantails often flit just ahead of walkers on bush tracks, snapping up insects stirred from the path. Their friendly, curious nature makes them feel almost like they’re guiding you along. With soft brown, black, and cream markings, they’re small but endlessly entertaining to watch.
Spotting a fantail is often taken as a good omen.
Often seen drying their wings like living sculptures, cormorants, known in Aotearoa as shags, are a familiar coastal presence around Akaroa and the bays.
Several species call this area home, including the bold pied shag, the more delicate spotted shag, and the sleek little black shag. All are expert divers, slipping beneath the surface to hunt fish with remarkable speed and precision. Perched on rocks, wharves, or channel markers, they add a sense of movement and life to the harbour.
Kererū are recognised by their glossy green and purple feathers and bright white chest. You’ll often see them perched heavily in native trees or swooping through the bush with surprising speed.
Their diet is mostly fruit, and they play a vital role in spreading seeds, helping native forests around Akaroa and the bays to thrive.
This is the first bay you come to when you come down off the hill. Only 15 minutes to Akaroa this pretty bay is known for its calm waters, and the much-loved Barry’s Bay Cheese factory shop. It’s also an excellent spot to birdwatch.
With a boat ramp, picnic spots, and easy access to the harbour, it’s a handy place to pause and stretch your legs, or launch out onto the water.
Located just over the hill from Akaroa, French Farm is known for its safe swimming beach, grassy picnic areas, and relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.
The shallow, sheltered waters make it a favourite for swimming, paddleboarding, and launching kayaks, while the open foreshore is perfect for long lunches and lazy afternoons.
Nestled between rolling hills and calm waters, Wainui is a small bay where simplicity is the main attraction. It’s a lovely spot for swimming, kayaking, or launching a boat, with sheltered conditions and a relaxed, local feel.
The surrounding farmland and native bush give the area a sense of space and stillness that’s easy to sink into.
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Just a short drive from Christchurch, this small village sits at the edge of Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere and marks the start of the scenic journey into Akaroa and the bays.
It’s known for its creative spirit, with art galleries, local crafts, cafés, and the famous Little River Rail Trail, popular with cyclists and walkers alike. The surrounding wetlands and hills are rich in birdlife and wide open views.
Set along a sheltered waterfront, Akaroa blends French-inspired heritage with a relaxed coastal village feel. Colourful cottages, cafés, galleries, and boutique shops line the streets, while the harbour invites swimming, kayaking, sailing, and wildlife encounters right at the doorstep.
It’s also one of the best places to spot Hector’s dolphins and explore the surrounding bays.