Akaroa Historical Overview - Christchurch City Council

The town becomes aware of its history
Akaroa had been recognised since at least 1898 (when the monument was built on
Green’s Point) to have a particularly interesting history. This had been reinforced by the
1926 celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the establishment of the Akaroa Borough and
by the 1940 celebration of the centennial of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and the
founding of the first organised European settlements in New Zealand, of which Akaroa
was one. 31
The town’s acknowledgement of its special past was given tangible expression with the
founding of the Akaroa Museum. On the initiative of W.J. Gardner, a member of the
Board of the Historic Places Trust, the Langlois-Eteveneaux Cottage was purchased in
1961 and eventually vested in the County Council. The museum opened in 1964, with the
cottage transformed into, in effect, a large display case. A new museum building was
erected behind the cottage in 1967. Ten years later the museum was further extended. 32
The extension designed by Colin Pilbrow, which provides the main entrance between the
Langlois-Eteveneaux Cottage and the court house, is considered by many to be a model
of new design sympathetic to historic neighbours.
Two important historic buildings were added to the Museum. In December 1976, the
restored customs house, near the base of Daly’s Wharf, was re-opened as part of the
Museum. From the 1920s it had been used as a gardener’s shed before being given, in
1970, by the County Council to the Museum Trust Board. 33
After the court house (on a site adjacent to the Museum) closed in 1979, it was used, in
1980-81, by the Lands and Survey Department for a photographic display of the
Peninsula, but it was not until 1990 that it became part of the Museum. 34
A place of special character
Closely associated with an increasingly widespread perception that Akaroa was a place of
special historic interest was the perception that it was also a place of special character,
with old buildings and other historic remnants contributing significantly to that character
but not the only reason Akaroa was special. By the early 21 st century it was commonly
held that the town’s character derived from its unique topographical setting and gardens
and trees as much as from a history that blended Maori, French and English strands and a
remarkably well-preserved built environment. (The town’s setting, gardens and trees in
the second half of the 20 th century are discussed in the following section.) 35
Direct consequences of this growing perception that Akaroa had a special, distinctive
character were the founding of the Akaroa Civic Trust in 1969-70 and the drafting of an
“environmental plan” for the town. Both these developments had a profound effect on
the development of Akaroa in the following four decades.
A booklet put out later in the 1970s stated: “The character of Akaroa is at once unique
and fragile. Conscious of this, residents and visitors have formed the Akaroa Trust [sic] to
31 New Zealand Centennial News, 1938-41, passim
32 Ogilvie, Cradle, p. 48
33 The Press, 7 December 1976
34 The Press, 1 December 1980, 9 January 1981, 22 July 1989; Akaroa Museum notice board
35 Akaroa Civic Trust Newsletter, May 2006, pp. 3-5
AKAROA HERITAGE OVERVIEW : SECTION 7 CHANGE AND GROWTH 1950 TO 2009 PAGE 136