3rd February - Akaroa, New Zealand

From Kaikōura, overnight we travelled further south and we woke up as we were sailing into Akaroa harbour on the Banks Peninsula.  The town of Akaroa is 84 kilometres by road from Christchurch.  It is set on a sheltered harbour and is overlooked and surrounded by the remnants of an eruptive centre of the miocene Banks Peninsula Volcano.  As we sailed to our anchor position we passed the remains of the volcano's crater walls

Akaroa was founded in August 1840 by French settlers. It has been suggested that French interest in New Zealand speeded up Britain’s decision to annex New Zealand. By the time French settlers arrived, the Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and Māori chiefs had been signed.

Akaroa has a fine collection of 19th-century cottages and houses. The French associations are evident in street names. Once a fishing and farm service town, it now serves mainly holidaymakers and tourists. It has become a popular port of call for cruise ships.

We tendered ashore once again and joined a harbour cruise on a small sailing ketch, we set off out into the harbour.  Akaroa has a rich history surrounding the European settlement of New Zealand.  Much of the indigenous vegetation has been removed and trees and grass were planted to improve agricultural conditions.  However, it is the early settlement of Akaroa that is of most interest.

The foreshore at Akaroa has a long history of human activity. French Bay was known as Paka Ariki. Maori had long ago established a settlement at Takapuneke (Red House Bay) and had been supplying European traders from the I820s. In November 1830 Te Maiharanui, Takapuneke's leading chief, aroused Te Rauparaha, the leading chief on the North Island, anger and became the object of an assault when he led a war party that chartered the British brig Elizabeth, captained by John Stewart, and launched a surprise attack Several hundred were killed and dozens enslaved. Stewart could not be convicted of murder owing to the lack of a suitable legal system in New Zealand at the time. This incident was one of several lawless acts committed by Stewart around this time

As we slowly made our way down the harbour towards the sea we were given commentary on the history of the area, more of which later.

I was looking for wildlife and was surprise to find this Australian Shelduck on a fence post.

It didn't take too long to find the Hector's Dolphins the harbour is famous for and they headed straight for our sailing ketch.  We were then treated to something else I didn't expect.  Our tour guide announced that the dolphin's like music and in particular, Enya.  He then played several of her songs and the dolphins swam along at the bow of the ketch and were as we sailed more joined the party.

A good view of the diagnostic rounded dorsal fin.

They were so close it was possible to really appreciate their unique markings.

Here swimming on its side showing the white under belly.

The beak is very small.

Gradually the dolphins became fed up with Enya and they drifted away and we continued heading towards the ocean.  The cliff walls were quite steep and there were plenty of Cormorants, mostly Spotted Cormorants but with a few Pied Cormorants as well.

A pair of Kelp Gulls, or Southern Black-backed Gulls as they are known in New Zealand, similar size to the Lesser Black-backed Gull.

And Sooty or Black Oystercatcher.

A juvenile White-fronted Tern.

And the adult bird.

The waves hitting a blow hole in the cliffs.

Back on land we walked through the town, that is divided into an area of French influence and one of English.  But before the history lesson there were some confiding Welcome Swallows.

The French landed at French Bay in Akaroa on 19 August 1840. This was the beginning of the only settlement in New Zealand by the French. Prior to the arrival of the settlers, the main European activity in the South Island was that of the whalers. Whaling from Banks Peninsula dates back to 1835, but port records show the use of Akaroa Harbour as a base for whalers reached its peak in 1842-44, when an average of 25 ships were stationed there at any one time. After 1844 it became unprofitable to fish New Zealand waters, although shore-based whaling continued from some bays until 1863. 

The French arrived in New Zealand in 1840 believing that Captain L'Anglois, the master of the French whaler, had purchased 30,000 acres of land in Akaroa from the local Maoris in 1838. In fact the claim had never been completed and was invalid. The French ships called first at the Bay of Islands, the main British settlement in New Zealand, and there discovered that Britain had not only declared sovereignty over the North Island but had also claimed the South Island and Stewart Island as well. 

Negotiations with the British resulted in the French continuing on to Akaroa, only to find that the HMS Britomart had already arrived in French Bay on 10 August, five days ahead of the French naval corvette, the 'Aube'. On 11 August the Captain of the Britomart, Captain Stanley, went ashore and hoisted the British flag at Green's Point, thereby confirming British sovereignty of the land.

On 19 August 1840 the 57 French colonists from the 'Comte de Paris' were landed on the foreshore of Paka Ariki Bay (now French Bay). They were placed in tents, made from sail cloths of the 'Comte de Paris' and the 'Aube', erected along the foreshore the previous day. This was the first settlement by the French of the present town of Akaroa. The settlers entered into an agreement with the New Zealand government which allowed them rights to settle despite English sovereignty of the land. 

We walked around the delightful houses and shops and it was possible to discern those that were influenced by the French

A church.

The main beach.

The glorious red flowers of the New Zealand Christmas Tree.

Before we headed back to the ship we visited the Garden of Tane.  The garden was established in July 1874 when an area of five acres was set aside to grow exotic trees such as elm, oak, ash and pines, with a network of paths and pools.  Many of these have been lost today.  The are was not without controversy as many wanted the are returned to natural bush, and the exotic species today have mixed with the locals.  Today the council are attempting to return it to its original glory.  The paths we walked were muddy and covered with roots, we didn't walk to far, but came across this Grey Fantail.

You could imagine what the area was like when first established on the hill side with lovely views out across the harbour, an oasis.

We made our way back to the ship by tender and we left the harbour in the evening, continuing our journey south, next stop was to be Port Chalmers and Dunedin.