Three kilometers of land juts into the Akaroa Harbor on the Banks Peninsula. Known as the Ōnawe Peninsula, it can only be reached at low tide. At high tide, water cuts the peninsula off from the rest of the land and turns it into two islands, shaped like an exclamation point.

Ōnawe Peninsula is a volcanic plug, created by the magma hardening within a vent on the now-extinct Banks Peninsula Volcano.

The peninsula is considered tapu, or sacred, to the Ngai Tahu tribe. The site of a former pā, or village, over 1,000 people were massacred here in 1832 when a Ngāti Toa chief attacked it as revenge.

Today, with a little planning around the tides, visitors can enjoy hiking across the peninsula and taking in the stunning views of the Akaroa Harbour.