Cheers, Paul.
Breeze 1 highlight… former PM chips in
Jenny Shipley said at the launch of Black Cat at Lyttelton that she was impressed with leaders of the venture ‘for having the guts and foresight to make this tremendous investment in the future of tourism in Canterbury’. ‘The Cruises will provide a great attraction for tourists and will add yet another boost to the local economy.’ she added. Here’s an image from 10 years ago of the PM smashing a bottle of champagne over the bow of the new catamaran.
Dry suits on you tube
We’ve just finished the 2nd season using dry suits for dolphin swimming. They have been very popular and have been in high demand as the word has got around. Here is a story of what they are like to use. Wetsuits will be used from October to April with dry suits back again in May 2010.
Quail Island dates
Daily trips to Quail Island are back on again departing at 12.20pm and returning again at 3.40pm. There is also another trip at 10.20am during the summer. Watch out for our awesome treasure hunt again this summer. Everyone will win a prize!
Humpback whales
We were very lucky to see a pod of whales outside the Akaroa heads recently. Here is a beautiful shot of one of the whale tails.
Please don’t be late
If you are coming to Akaroa or sending customers our way please allow at least 90 minutes travel time. And be aware of the reporting time. We have had a few customers turn up late recently and it’s very disappointing for all concerned. We are a bit like the airlines, we cant keep people waiting. Our policy for latecomers is that we’ll give them a free of charge stand by ticket, i.e. if there is space for another cruise they can go on it for free provided it does not displace a normal paying passenger.
Price changes
There are some price changes coming up on Oct 1st which are Akaroa Harbour Cruise moving from $62 to $65 and Swimming from $125 to $130 (kids $105 to $110). All other prices remain the same.
French Fest in Akaroa
Escape to picturesque Akaroa and immerse yourself in French culture, entertainment and romance as you celebrate Akaroa’s unique French connection at the Akaroa French Festival - Friday 2 October to Saturday 3 October. Inspire yourself at an authentic French Cooking Show in the Gaiety Hall, view The Landing and street parade, and follow your ears to watch the New Zealand Army Band. Watch the famously entertaining French Waiters race, then dance into the evening as a selection of local bands
perform until the final celebrations begin. This is the perfect opportunity to visit charming Akaroa and see the town come alive as it celebrates it’s French heritage. www.frenchfest.co.nz
Great Feedback
We would like to say a very big thank you to you and all the crew on the Black Cat cruise from Lyttelton to Akaroa on Sunday 6th September 2009.
Firstly I would like to thank you personally for all your help keeping us informed about when this particular cruise was going to take place as there were a few date changes since we originally booked for the first cruise that was to happen earlier in the year, which was first postponed and then cancelled due to the weather conditions.
We couldn’t have asked for much better conditions than we experienced on the cruise, the sea was so calm and the only waves that were being formed was from the boat itself. Cruising around the Peninsula was such a pleasure and what a great way to get a different view of Banks Peninsula and also the view back towards Christchurch with the snow covered mountains in the distance when we left Lyttelton Harbour was amazing. We had only just left Lyttelton Harbour when we came across a pod of Hector Dolphins that were more than happy to keep up with the boat giving us a great view of them.
We would also like to thank the crew as they were friendly, cheerful and very informative which made our trip on the cruise that much more enjoyable, the commentary was excellent especially all the information we received from the crew member who had a very well spoken Scottish accent.
We had a nice time in Akaroa as usual when we go there for the day. We had a nice lunch followed by a very tasty ice cream from the dairy, had a walk around the town and relaxed a little bit before getting the bus back to Lyttelton stopping at Barry’s Bay Cheese Factory on the way home where we bought some tasty cheese.
We would most definitely take part in another Black Cat cruise as the service was excellent and we have already recommended to friends to go on the cruise we have just been on when this particular cruise happens again. Craig and Samantha.
Saving penguins
Without a doubt a great recent highlight was the Campbell Live story shown on TV3 recently. If you have not seen it yet. Click here.
Did you know
The first edition of the Breeze was memorable to us for the wrong reasons! Our new web company had some new software which did not work very well! The Breeze went out as normal to the first person on the list named Aaron. The next person Alison got 2 breezes and the last person on the list got about 100 copies back to back. Some people printed emails back in those days, so we ended up posting lots of A4 paper around the country as an apology for the mistake!
