Akaroa has a unique place in New Zealand’s history as the only French settlement in the country. This tiny village, 85 kilometres south east of Christchurch on the Banks Peninsula (named after Lieutenant James Cook’s botanist Joseph Banks), was settled by 63 French people in 1840, 70 years after it was sighted and named by Cook on his voyage across the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand and Australia. Banks Peninsula is an extinct volcano which lies east of Christchurch and is characterised by its circular shape, steep sided hills that sweep down to beautiful inlets and bays below. With tussock hills as a backdrop to the town and the inlet, Akaroa is a well-preserved gem of history.

The lovely bayside town has many streets with French names and is the oldest town in the Canterbury district, Langlois Etenenaux is the oldest house in the region. It is the site of the nation’s first Catholic Church and the first vineyard in the country.