Akaroa-- History, beauty, and conservancy
Akaroa is a small town on the Banks Peninsula with a strong French influence. The french whalers in the early 1800's had settled this area, developing a small village. In 1838 the captain of the Cachalot, a French whaling ship "purchased" land from a local Maori chief. He then went back to France and convinced the government to back an expedition to colonize this area for France. 5 days prior to the French colonists arrival back in 1840, the British crown had signed the Treaty of Waitangi with all of the Maori chiefs from both islands, resulting in all of New Zealand being under British rule. Mssr. Lavaud, the french leader was met at the harbor entrance by a British warship informing him France had no claim. In order to avoid a potential conflict, he struck the french flag from his mast, raised the Union Jack in acknowledgement of Britain's rule, and "the rest is history". Even today Akaroa has many remnants of french influence including fre...
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