Akaroa on 21st December

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Having had such a ‘busy day’ being driven around Tauranga, we had the following day on the ship, transiting between Tepicentrend Akaroa.

Since the 6.3 Earthquake that happened on 22nd February 2011, with the epicenter near the port of Lyttelton, the main port for Christchurch, the cruise ships have used the small port of Akaroa for a “day visit”. [Akaroa meaning - long harbour]

With a normal population of around 700, the sudden depositing 3,500 to 4,000 people stretches the infrastructure to the maximum to cope with the intake.

Some history of the area includes,

In 1830, the Captain of a British brig, the “Elizabeth”, helped the chief Te Rauparaha to capture the local chief Tamaiharanui, his wife and daughter, and sack the settlement of Takapuneke.

The Pa had originally been on top of the hill to the right, and only at low tide was there access from the mainland to the island.

With the aid of the “Elizabeth”, Te Rauparaha soon overcame that defence.

Concern over the complicity of John Stewart, among other lawlessness among the Europeans, in New Zealand, led to the appointment of an official English Resident, James Busby, to NZ in 1832, the first step in the lead up to the Treaty of Waitangi.

In 1836, Captain Jean Francois Langiois made a provisional purchase of land in the greater Banks Peninsular from 12 local chiefs, a deposit of 6 Pounds worth of goods was paid, with the difference of 234 pounds to be paid at a later date.

On his return to France, he advertised for settlers to go to New Zealand, and ceded his interest in the land to the Nanto-Bordelaise Company, of which he became a part owner.

On 9th March 1840, 63 settlers left from Rochefort on board the old French man-of-war, Comte de Paris, that was given to them by the French government.

The Comte de Paris and its companion ship, Aube, captained by Charles Francois Lavaud, arrived in the Bay of Islands, in the North of the North Island on 11 July 1840, where they discovered that, while they were at sea, the Banks Peninsula area had been claimed by the British Government.

They continued on to Akaroa, arriving on 18 August 840, and established a settlement.

Given that the French colonists has set out for NZ on the assumption that the land was theirs, the Authorities made a grant of 30,000 acres to the Nanto-Bordelaise Company, which ceded all rights to the area for 4,000 pounds.

After hearing that the French intended to colonize Akaroa, and turn it into a whaling port, the Lieutenant Governor, Captain William Hobson sent the ship Britomart to proclaim sovereignty over the area for the British Crown.

The Britomart arrived on 11 or 16 August 1840, and Captain Stanley raised the British flag, and held court at each of the settled areas to convince the French that the area was indeed under British control.

This French ancestry is still marked today with as many French flags as NZ flags flying along the main street of this beautiful little town.

A lot of the streets are also called Rue, as well/

Because there was no wharfage for a ship anything like the Majestic, they lowered 4 of the lifeboats and used them to ferry the passengers to shore, for the short trip to and from they were OK, but if they were ever used for real, they would be totally different.

One of the main attractions of the harbour is the presence of the smallest and rarest dolphin in the world, the Hector Dolphin, who are happy to swim with visitors.

Also in the area are the NZ Fur Seals, White Flippered Penguins, and Little Blue Penguins.

Where once there were about 9 different cheese factories dotted around the harbour, now they have consolidated to one, at Barry’s Bay, where they make some very fine cheeses.

Because of the size of the town, and knowing my wife’s shopping habits, we had booked two different bus tours to see some of the surrounding areas.

One of these was to a now disused train station almost a third of the way into Christchurch, where, in former times the Christchurchians would pack a picnic lunch and travel by rail to this little village, have their lunch on a nearby park, and return to their homes having had a great day out.

We returned from this excursion to the afternoon bus trip in an ex London double Decker bus, that managed to struggle up to the Hill Top Tavern.

On one wall is a listing of all the publicans since the hotel was opened in 1870, to the present, which showed that it was often “handed down” through the family many times.

After a pint or so we then re boarded the bus and return to the little village of Akaroa, giving the boss a chance to quell her shopping urges for a while.

While the boss was fulfilling her urges I wandered down [across the road] to the beach for this file old gaff rigged schooner that was sailing by.

A local had brought his bike down to take the tourists [money] for a different style of sight seeing, and as you can see, he had plenty of takers.

The official log from Tauranga to Akaroa gives a distance of 590 N Miles at 15.6 Knots, with the wind at noon 20th as Force 5 [a fresh breeze = 17 - 21 Knots, 19 - 24 mph] dropping to Force 2 [ light breeze = 4-6 knots, 4 - 7 mph] at Akaroa
With the temperature rising from 19.5o C to 20o C at Akaroa

with thanks to son-of-satire for the banner