After our few wild weather days in Akaroa we headed north around the Banks Peninsula on 20th May with almost no wind so it was on with the Iron Spinnaker. We were accompanied by Hector dolphins that are endemic to the area. They are quite small with unusual dorsal fins and an almost piebald colouration - almost impossible to photograph of course.
Lyttleton, the port for Christchurch is 50 miles (95 kms) to the north of Akaroa. We based ourselves here to see for ourselves how earthquakes have changed these people's lives - everybody has a story. Since the first earthquake in September, 2010 there have been thousands more, the other main one striking in February, 2011. Whilst we were there they had several, the largest was over 5 on the Richter Scale. It would not be easy to live with....check out this website for some graphics and stats http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/.

Lyttelton is connected to Christchurch via a tunnel that bores straight through the mountain and is over a kilometre long. Somehow it managed to survive more or less unscathed. If the tunnel had been destroyed we were informed that it would have meant the death of Christchurch as it is their lifeline to the rest of the world. Lyttelton is a pretty town and on the surface still appears quite normal. Upon closer inspection you find that almost all the commercial premises as well as the government administration buildings are closed and fenced off or have been pulled down. A large proportion of the residences are uninhabitable now. In the photo it is hard to see much that is different however more than half of the houses are damaged and uninhabited and many cannot be rebuilt.