Akaroa Historical Overview - Christchurch City Council

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AKAROA'S LANDSCAPE 1900 TO 1950 Akaroa as pleasure resort: “getting fat on oysters and prohibition” Akaroa had grown steadily through the second half of the 19 th century and by 1900 was an established town and popular holiday destination. Promoted variously as a recreation resort, a sanatorium and a honeymoon retreat over this period the landscape's natural and constructed features were valued as much for their 'health camp' properties as they were for their aesthetic charms. As Ogilvie has pointed out, Sir Thomas McKenzie, the Minister of Tourism, and Blanche Baughan, author and poet, both spoke and wrote eulogistically of its scenic and historic uniqueness. 60 Other Tourist Department promotions and the town's accommodation industry built on the previous century's idea of the restorative landscape and marketed the town as the “Riviera of Canterbury,” and “the premiere seaside tourist resort of Canterbury” with a climate that was said to equal that of the Mediterranean. (Akaroa’s role as a resort has already been discussed in terms of the impact of this role on the history of the town’s buildings in these decades.) As part of the resort experience there were endless ways for the tourist to experience the landscape. This is highlighted in the postcard commentary that flooded out of the town from 1900. In these missives Akaroa is described as both a playground and a respite, with the landscape supporting each of these roles. Some examples include: “... Getting fat on oysters and prohibition. Chrysanthemums out. Children well” postcard 1910 “The weather so far has been perfect. We are enjoying ourselves very much indeed and like Garthowen alright. The food is excellent we are doing little else but eat and sleep and are feeling all the better for it” postcard March 1918 “Akaroa is a very pretty little place just suited for honeymooners so it doesn't suit Gib...” postcard ca 1918 “Rhonda and I are having a most enjoyable time ... We walked up Walnut Grove and now are sitting up on the hill overlooking the harbour which is a very pretty site[sic]. We have been ... tennis in the afternoon, pictures at night. On Thursday went out in the launch... saw numbers of porpoises out towards the heads... The bathing pools and sheds are nearly opposite Garthowen so that is very handy” postcard 1920 The hotel, guest house and camping industry flourished with honeymooners, family groups and the camping public all drawn to the well-packaged amenity on offer. For anyone seeking rest, recuperation and romantic scenery, Akaroa was considered to be “simply perfection”. The changing face of public open space The sea-baths were high on the list of attractions that contributed to the town's success as a holiday location. Sea bathing in the early 20 th century was considered extremely beneficial for its invigorating influences and medicinal properties, and was also considered a wonderful tonic for the liver, stomach and kidneys (if inadvertently swallowed). The Akaroa sea-bath as it was known, allowed visitors to take to the sea in an enclosed 60 Ogilvie, Cradle, p. 45 AKAROA HERITAGE OVERVIEW : SECTION 6 YEARS OF STABILITY 1900 TO 1950 PAGE 105
area without the fear of currents and was an extremely popular if somewhat risqué amenity (refer figure 6.16). Operating close to Daly's wharf on the foreshore from 1910, the baths contentiously allowed mixed bathing, attracting comment from other parts of New Zealand. One newspaper wrote that “Banks Peninsula – plain Canterbury's rugged nose – is chiefly known to the outside world for two things, which are grass-seed and Akaroa's mixed bathing”. 61 Figure 6.16. In the early 20 th century a raised bathing shed and enclosed area for swimming was built at the north end of the town’s main swimming beach, not far from the base of Dalys Wharf. Sea bathing was a popular activity for the increasing numbers of visitors flocking to a town. Ref: Postcard, private collection, J, Pyle. The harbour was a key amenity area providing opportunities for boating, fishing, porpoise spotting and trips to the other bays. It also allowed visitors scenic views of the town from the sea. Daily pleasure cruises were offered by a number of companies operating in Akaroa (refer figures 6.17 & 6.18). Figure 6.17. Scenic harbour trips and porpoise spotting were popular activities through the 20 th century. Today's contemporary harbour attractions such as swimming with Hector's Dolphins and wildlife catamaran cruises build on these earlier tourist ventures. Ref: 1936-1 61 Evening Post, 23 January 1911, p. 1 AKAROA HERITAGE OVERVIEW : SECTION 6 YEARS OF STABILITY 1900 TO 1950 PAGE 106
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A REPORT PREPARED FOR: KERI DAVIS-M
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LIST OF FIGURES: Section 2: Introdu
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Figure 6.7. Akaroa beach before WW
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Figure 7.41. View of hillside veget
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SECTION ONE: OVERVIEW Report Contex
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It draws particular attention to wh
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AKAROA: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Sect
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It had the appearance of remoteness
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SECTION THREE: LANDSCAPE & HUMAN HI
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Paka Ariki seems to have had a less
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They appear also on occasion to hav
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The settlers were given clear title
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Commercial Hotel. (Green sold this
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Figure 4.2. The cottage built in 18
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Charlotte Godley, however, observed
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THE NATURAL AND PLANTED LANDSCAPE P
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own property in Takamatua and the n
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By 1847 cropping and stock breeding
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Figure 4.10. Father Sione's plan sh
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Figure 4.12. Plan of the Akaroa sho
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EXTANT TOWN FABRIC & FEATURES DATIN
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SECTION FIVE: THE COLONIAL TOWN 185
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Akaroa’s transformation from vill
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Although the proportion of Akaroa
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The most important concentration of
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The largest private home built in 1
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He soon built his own store and coa
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time after 1884 (probably in 1888)
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Figure 5.17. In this view looking s
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Industry Industry had less of an im
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Public institutions As Akaroa grew
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One of the organisations which met
Page 67 and 68: The first Anglican church was built
Page 69 and 70: distinctively Akaroa style of archi
Page 71 and 72: The Akaroa Mail greeted the formati
Page 73 and 74: Figure 5.28. For a time in the late
Page 75 and 76: THE COLONIAL LANDSCAPE The disappea
Page 77 and 78: By 1900 the forest was virtually go
Page 79 and 80: Figure 5.32. Walnut Avenue was the
Page 81 and 82: Figure 5.34. Charles Haylock's prop
Page 83 and 84: The resort garden and the seaside h
Page 85 and 86: The re-invigoration of the town's e
Page 87 and 88: public gardens in the colony” 122
Page 89 and 90: Britomart or Green's Point Monument
Page 91 and 92: Names on the landscape in 1900 The
Page 93 and 94: c SNAPSHOT OF AKAROA IN 1900 The 19
Page 95 and 96: Public buildings and structures •
Page 97 and 98: AKAROA: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Sect
Page 99 and 100: During and just after World War II,
Page 101 and 102: with the previous half century. Two
Page 103 and 104: The unveiling of the monument on Gr
Page 105 and 106: Figure 6.5. James Bruce established
Page 107 and 108: grounds, was dedicated to the wives
Page 109 and 110: Building a dairy factory in Akaroa
Page 111 and 112: Community Life Between 1900 and 195
Page 113 and 114: The building of the Post Office was
Page 115 and 116: through Little River and over Hillt
Page 117: Power from the Lake Coleridge power
Page 121 and 122: Land reclaimed on the northern beac
Page 123 and 124: Akaroa cemetery: “the most inviti
Page 125 and 126: Figure 6.23 The central memorial fe
Page 127 and 128: Centennial celebrations In preparat
Page 129 and 130: In addition to built landscape elem
Page 131 and 132: Coronation Oaks were planted on L'A
Page 133 and 134: Figure 6.34. Aylmers Valley Road in
Page 135 and 136: Figure 6.36. The Narbey family home
Page 137 and 138: c SNAPSHOT OF AKAROA IN 1950 Descri
Page 139 and 140: Public buildings and structures •
Page 141 and 142: SECTION SEVEN: CHANGE AND GROWTH 19
Page 143 and 144: When the Akaroa County first drew u
Page 145 and 146: The Metropole and Bruce fires left
Page 147 and 148: offered from the 1970s and more rec
Page 149 and 150: By the late 20 th century, a town w
Page 151 and 152: ensure as far as possible that the
Page 153 and 154: Figure 7.7. In this aerial view tak
Page 155 and 156: This expectation was fulfilled. In
Page 157 and 158: On Rue Balguerie, subdivision in 19
Page 159 and 160: But the spread of houses onto those
Page 161 and 162: Figure 7.16. Some architects who de
Page 163 and 164: Farrell stated her case against the
Page 165 and 166: Figure 7.19. Behind the recent and
Page 167 and 168: Figure 7.22. The Haylock House on A
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In 1970 a local complained to the w
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Figure 7.25. The new gymnasium on t
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Figure 7.26. General view of Akaroa
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palms, sumach, chestnuts and walnut
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Commemorative fabric and historic t
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The changing face of the Domain Dur
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Cemetery reserves: “nothing but c
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widened in part to better accommoda
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Figure 7.38. 1972 map of Akaroa . P
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c SNAPSHOT OF AKAROA TODAY The seco
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EXTANT TOWN FABRIC DATING FROM 1950
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Come to Akaroa Canterbury’s Premi
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Vangioni. L. J. (1967) Old Maori pl
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Akaroa Mail, 7 September 2001 Akaro
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Appendix 2. Although Akaroa's popul
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Appendix 4. Typically, subdivisions
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Appendix 6. In 1946, the block of l
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Appendix 8. In 1953, the extensive
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Appendix 10. In 1962, one of the fi
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Appendix 12. After the major subdiv
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Appendix 14. On the south side of A
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Appendix 16. The most recent large
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Appendix 18. Nearly 20 years passed
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Appendix 20. In 1971, the block of
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Appendix 22. A 1981 subdivision saw
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Appendix 24. The Settlers Hill subd
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Appendix 26. The houses on Percy St
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Appendix 28. As development extende
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Appendix 30. As development crept u
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Akaroa Historical Overview - Christchurch City Council

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