Akaroa Harbour, is part of

Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest city, ...

in the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

region of New Zealand. The harbour enters from the southern coast of the peninsula, heading in a predominantly northerly direction. It is one of two major inlets in

, on the coast of

, New Zealand; the other is

Lyttelton Harbour Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other is Akaroa Harbour on the southern coast. It enters from the northern coast of the peninsula, heading in a pr ...

on the northern coast. The name Akaroa is an alternative spelling of Whakaroa, Whangaroa or Wangaloa from the Kāi Tahu dialect of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

. Whakaroa means "Long Harbour". The harbour was used commercially in the mid-19th century for ship-based and shore-based whaling.

Cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

s occasionally enter the harbour, with the passengers visiting Akaroa.

Ōnawe Peninsula The Ōnawe Peninsula is a volcanic plug inside Akaroa Harbour, on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is the site of a former pā (a Māori village). It is part of the Banks Peninsula Volcano. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and ...

is at the head of the harbour, the former site of a Māori

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites ...

Settlements

Akaroa Harbour's waterfront has been continually inhabited since the 1840s.

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for "Long Harbour", which would be spelled in standard ...

Duvauchelle Duvauchelle Bay ( mi, Kaitouna) is a small town situated at the head of Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula in New Zealand. State Highway 75 passes through the town. The Onawe Peninsula separates Duvauchelle bay from Barry's Bay. Duvauchelle i ...

, Takapūneke,

Takamatua Takamatua, with an initial European name of German Bay, is a small town situated in Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula in New Zealand. The main road to Akaroa (State Highway 75) passes through this locality. It is north of Akaroa township. His ...

, Barrys Bay, French Farm and Wainui lie on the shoreline of the harbour. They are connected to the rest of Canterbury via State Highway 75. French Bay, the site of the French settlement of Akaroa, was originally known as Paka Ariki.

Demographics

The Akaroa Harbour statistical area covers the settlements around the harbour with the exception of Akaroa. It covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Akaroa Harbour had a population of 729 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short ...

, a decrease of 27 people (-3.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 18 people (2.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 330 households. There were 363 males and 366 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 57.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 78 people (10.7%) aged under 15 years, 63 (8.6%) aged 15 to 29, 333 (45.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 255 (35.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 93.8% European/Pākehā, 6.6% Māori, 1.2% Pacific peoples, 2.5% Asian, and 2.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 21.0%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 49.4% had no religion, 39.9% were Christian, 0.8% were Buddhist and 2.5% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 159 (24.4%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 90 (13.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $28,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 279 (42.9%) people were employed full-time, 132 (20.3%) were part-time, and 3 (0.5%) were unemployed.

Geography and Natural Features

The harbour is one of two eroded volcanic centres from the extinct

Banks Peninsula Volcano The Banks Peninsula Volcano is an extinct volcanic complex to the east of Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island.Sewell 1986 While the volcano is highly eroded it still forms the majority of Banks Peninsula with a highest point of . It is a c ...

. The

Akaroa Marine Reserve The Akaroa Marine Reserve is a marine reserve covering an area of at the entrance to the Akaroa Harbour in New Zealand. It was approved in 2013 after a lengthy campaign, and established in 2014. History Forest and Bird carried out exploratory di ...

was given approval in 2013 after a 17-year campaign to get it established. , of the seven sites that are sampled in the harbour for water quality, six are graded as "good" and one as "fair" in terms of recreational use. Rainfall affects the grading.

Image gallery

References

External links

Akaroa and Akaroa Harbour
at Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand (published in the 1966 ''An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'')
Akaroa Harbour Issues Working Party
at

Environment Canterbury Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan. is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's st ...