New Zealand: la petite ville française de Akaroa
Akaroa is a small, quiet, charming town with colonial-architecture of both English and French stylings. Located about midway down the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Akaroa can be reached by car from Christchurch in about an hour. For many, the trip will definitely take longer with required stops in Birdings Flat, Little River, Hilltop, and Duvauchelle.
In the race to claim sovereignty over New Zealand (even though the Maori were present for much longer), Akaroa was claimed by both English and French in 1840. Upon their arrival on the ship Britomart, the English won the “claims race” by a couple of weeks (or a couple of years, depending upon the definition of “claim”).
However, the French influence remains strong on this side of the planet. Even if the antipode to Akaroa lies near France, you’ll see from the photos below that the signs do not lie and help keep alive the spirit of the little French town or “la petite ville française”.
It doesn’t stop with just European history. A daytrip to Akaroa isn’t complete with a trip out into the harbour.
Akaroa.
I made all photos above on 16 July 2012. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-2fl.
Fotoeins Fotografie 
10 Responses to “New Zealand: la petite ville française de Akaroa”
Ah thanks for all those pictures of Akaroa! It is a charming place. And the link to antipode map, which is really cool!
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Hi, Christina. While photos of the signs and buildings aren’t entirely new, I think putting them together in this way offers a different view (perhaps, even a cozy feeling?) of this little French town. Should I go back (and hopefully soon), I’d stay in Akaroa for a day or two, and also, I’d head to Lyttelton (Ōhinehou) for a look-see around there. Thanks again for reading and for your comment! 🙂
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Nice memory lane trip here for me, enjoyed our few days in this area. Plus the toilet on the top of Mt Herbert was one of my favourite scenic toilets in NZ 😀
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Hi, Laurence. Oh, how I remember your post on scenic toilets; that was one of the first posts I’d read on the web about New Zealand; talk about a great intro. 😉 I’m glad my post brought back good memories for you; thanks for your comment!
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This was on my original New Zealand itinerary, but there was a strong aftershock that changed my mind. A local friend advised me to skip it. Such a shame. Your post makes me regret not going. Alas, another time…
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Hi, Leah. I understand anybody’s reluctance to be in a seismically-active region. Heck, I lived in Chile for 5 years, and sometimes, it seemed as if we’d get a mag 3 to 4 rolling through the area every few weeks, just to remind us we’re on top of a big long fault zone. So, in a way, I got used to it, and in another way, you never really get used to it. But if you find yourself in Christchurch, I’d recommend a day trip to Akaroa; my upcoming post about Akaroa harbour may help clinch that recommendation for you. 🙂 Thanks for reading and for your comment!
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