C’est la vie, the French way
NEW ZEALAND’s original French settlement, Akaroa, outside Christchurch on the South Island, celebrates its heritage every year with a festival that draws big crowds.
It was way back in the 1830s that French whaler Francois Langlois thought, as he stared out from the deck of his ship Cachalot, that the deep-water port where he was anchored looked a pretty good spot to set up home.
The hills were richly timbered, the water deep and the climate sweet. The surrounding oceans were teeming with whales and the harbour would make an ideal location to set up a processing operation where blubber could be rendered down into oil and sent back to Paris. The rich oil would light up the streets of the capital and other French cities.
After some quick property negotiations with the 12 Ngāi Tahu chiefs from Port Cooper where Langlois swapped some cloaks, shoes, hats, pistols, axes and French francs for land, he headed back to France, the owner of most of Banks Peninsula.
Ten years later he returned on the boat Comte de Paris, accompanied by the warship L’Aube, captained by Charles Lavaud. On board were 63 emigrants who had each been promised land.
A lot can happen in ten years, however and when Langlois and Lavaud returned in 1840, they found themselves sailing into a British colony. The Treaty of Waitangi had been signed and a Union Jack flew over Akaroa.
Diplomatically, the English agreed to honour the right of the French landowners and the French settled in Akaroa as planned without much incident.
Langlois’ dream of a French South Island-wide colony however, became just two small towns but he’d be pleased to know their heritage is still rich and thriving.
Every year Akaroa celebrates its heritage with a weekend-long festival that gives visitors a taste of France in the heart of New Zealand.
The Akarora French Festival starts on Friday with a street party, Fête de Rue, in the heart of village. On Saturday, the descendants of the Comte de Paris immigrant ship re-tell the story of Akaroa's colonial origins on the beach.
Throughout the day, festival goers enjoy a selection of live music and entertainment; a market day with French-themed stalls; a host of games, competitions and craft; glamour, music and dancing at the evening ball, the Comte de Paris Bal; and, an outdoor movie on the village green. You can play petanque. Cirque d’Akaroa, is a French-theme circus created specially for the festival.
The festival finale on Sunday is always the exciting Akarora French Festival French Cricket Tournament featuring celebrity New Zealand cricketers.
As Captain Langlois would no doubt agree, it’s a pretty good spot for a festival.
* For more information on the Akarora French Festival, see https://akaroafrenchfest.co.nz/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Kim Triegaardt
Kim Triegaardt is a journalist, corporate communications specialist and – as regularly as she can manage – travel writer. Kim’s professional career has taken her around the globe, but she calls the New Zealand city of Christchurch, in the South Island’s Canterbury Region, home. Kim is the founder of the corporate communications company Totally Write, which she continues to operate.
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