Akaroa

Akaroa is a village on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located near Christchurch on a natural harbor, dominated by volcanic hills. According to the 2006 census living in the village of 567 people, of which about a third are over 65 years old. The area Akaroa Harbour has from 735 residents.

Since Akaroa is a popular holiday destination in New Zealand, the population number increases during the holiday season to over 7000, making the water supply, which is mainly covered by rain water can be scarce.

Despite British sailors who proclaimed British sovereignty in 1840 for the South Island, Akaroa, it was the French settlers who built a kind of colony here. Even today you discovered in the area the French influence you in particular finds itself in geographical names.

Worth seeing in Akaroa is the 1864 built Catholic parish church of St. Patrick, the Maison Langlois - Eteveneaux of 1845, the Anglican St. Peter 's Church in the Gothic Revival style in 1863 and the old customs house built in 1863.

A special feature is available in the Bay of Akaroa. There live about 30 Hector 's dolphins, a rare species that is found only here. Extracting a nature reserve on the coast has been established for these sea creatures, so the dolphins are not injured by fishing nets.

On February 18, 1872 Frank Worsley was born in Akaroa, the (aka Endurance expedition ) participated from 1914 to 1917 as captain of the Endurance on the Imperial Trans - Antarctic expedition led by Ernest Shackleton.