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As the site of
the only attempted settlement by the French in New Zealand,
Akaroa is unique. From Hilltop, where the magnificent
panorama of Akaroa Harbour stuns first-time travellers from
Christchurch, Canterbury's oldest town, Akaroa, looks dwarfed,
an insignificant cluster of small buildings below rugged hills
on the far side of a broad harbour. But closer up, the town
reveals itself to be a fascinating collection of charming older
buildings and a thriving, lively centre for both visitors and
locals.
 Akaroa
is the South Island's oldest town. To this day it has a deserved
reputation as one of the country's best preserved historic
towns. Historic as it is, there is much more to Akaroa today
than history, though ambling up its irregular streets, admiring
old cottages and gardens, is still Akaroa's greatest pleasure
for many. Nowhere else in the country has such a compact,
complete record of New Zealand's domestic architecture. The
town's churches and other public buildings are also notable
examples of New Zealand's colonial architecture. But now Akaroa
also attracts people for all sorts of recreation, walking on the
hills or foreshore, boating on the harbour, viewing wildlife
from dolphins to seabirds to seals. And few Canterbury pleasures
match whiling away a summer afternoon in a harbourside café in
Akaroa. |
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European whalers began frequenting Akaroa Harbour regularly in the
1830s, not long after the harbour had seen the North Island chief Te
Rauparaha attack Ngai Tahu settlements on its shores. The town gained
distinction in 1840 as the site of the only attempt to plant an
organised French settlement in New Zealand. People of British and other
nationalities soon outnumbered the French even in Akaroa, but the town
still celebrates its French origins.
Through its long life, Akaroa has played many roles - including a
fishing port and a far m service town. Before the road over Hilltop was
improved most goods, and many
visitors, came to and went from Akaroa over its wharves. Since the 19th
century, Akaroa has also been a holiday resort, its main role today.
People have escaped their day-to-day worries and preoccupations in
Christchurch and other cities by coming "over the hill" for a day trip
or for holidays from a few days to several weeks. Hotels and boarding
houses, and more recently motels, have been among Akaroa's most
important buildings.
Akaroa is the largest but not the only settlement on the shores of its
superbly scenic harbour. The main road to Akaroa passes through Barrys
Bay, Duvauchelle, Robinsons Bay and Takamatua. Beyond Akaroa is the
small settlement of Onuku, the heart of the Maori presence in the
harbour basin. The small, simple church at Onuku, across the road from
the marae, is one of the country's most beautifully sited historic
buildings.
On
the far side of the harbour from Akaroa is the holiday settlement of
Wainui, where families own "baches" (holiday cottages) that have
provided several generations of the families with fabulous childhood
holidays. The road to Wainui passes through French Farm, a name that
recalls the farm established by the French navy when they had ships
stationed in the harbour (with the agreement of the British) in the
1840s. Today French Farm is also well-known for its winery. The French
brought the first vines to the Peninsula in 1840. Today, the small
quantities of wine produced on the Peninsula are highly regarded and
sought after.
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