1840-2015

Akaroa celebrates 175 years

Akaroa will roll out the blue, white and red carpet in August as it celebrates 175 years of organised settlement. The Banks Peninsula Township is Canterbury’s oldest European settlement and the 175year celebrations will showcase the rich cultural diversity of its early settlers.

“It will be a ‘célébration extraordinaire’ for a town whose heritage still strongly reflects the cultures of the people who settled here” said Akaroa Promotions Executive Officer, Hollie Hollander. “Visitors are often drawn to Akaroa because of its reputation as a ‘French’ town in New Zealand, but what they ultimately experience is a settlement that remains true to all its early influences - respecting its rich Maori culture and embracing its subsequent English, French and German heritage.”

This marriage of culture and heritage could have been a far different story however, had nature (and the Treaty of Waitangi) not intervened.

In 1838 a French whaler, Captain Langlois, earmarked Akaroa as an ideal location to service the burgeoning whaling industry. Langlois acquired the peninsula in a ‘dubious’ land deal with local Maori and promptly returned to France to arrange for a group of French and German families to sail back to New Zealand to form a French colony.

It was an eventful journey for the 57 voyagers aboard the Comte de Paris. Their five-month journey ended in disappointment when they disembarked on August 19, 1840 only to discover that the Treaty of Waitangi had already been signed and British sovereignty was declared over the whole of New Zealand.

“By all accounts, the colonists’ journey to Akaroa was fraught – they ran aground literally the minute they left France and once they re-floated, bad weather plagued them virtually all the way here. It must have been enormously disappointing to finally land in Akaroa only to find a British flag flying above the harbour.

But then, as today, Akaroa lured the settlers with its charm and abundance and the French and German settlers opted to stay” explains Ms Hollander.

What followed was a steady increase in Akaroa’s population, with whalers, explorers, farmers and business people moving into the township and surrounding bays. History is kept alive through the names of key French individuals (Lavaud and Balguerie) being given to two of Akaroa's main streets; one colonial cottage built by the French remains in the town, the Langlois-Eteveneaux cottage. The many other charming colonial buildings are a legacy of the cosmopolitan mix of people who made Akaroa their home.

“The events planned for the 175th anniversary will help tell the amazing story of Akaroa. They will acknowledge the hardiness and foresight of the early settlers and celebrate the richness and diversity they created here. It’s a great opportunity to soak up a little bit of history and enjoy the many cultural and heritage values we’ve inherited from them.”

Ends

Info for journalists:

• Akaroa’s 175 years celebrations (1840-2015) will be hosted from August-October 2015 at various venues around the town.

• Events include historical accounts (readings), a settler’s luncheon, a Catholic Mass 175 years to the day and a commemorative walnut tree planting. The bi-annual French Festival held from 9-11 October will contain a fire-works display, an authentic re-enactment, street parade and a historic area as well as the usual market day and entertainment. On the Sunday of the festival will be demonstrations of the Ki-o-rahi ball sport, a game played historically by the Maori and French.

• Events are listed on Akaroa.com’s events page: http://www.akaroa.com/local-events

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