Page 49 - New Zealand holiday

Eight passengers set out with a tall amusing Frenchman
In 1882, two boat builders of Lyttelton erected the large Antigua boat shed. Fortunately, the old building survived the earthquakes in 2010/11 with only minor damage.
The punt was originally a work boat, used for fishing, dredging, carrying and transporting all kinds of materials.
In the 1880s punts became recreational and, like the pleasure boats of Cambridge and Oxford, the River Avon is now famous for its traditional English pleasure punts.
We enjoyed a tour of the river with a pole punting Frenchman from Rouen. Many Asian visitors also took to the river in canoes sometimes showing their lack of expertise with the paddle as they careered towards our punt and were deftly pushed aside by me!
The Antigua Boat Sheds, canoes and visitors keen to be on the river on a very hot day.