Editing Akaroa (section)

===British settlement===
After being informed of the French intention to colonise Akaroa and to further its use as a whaling port, the Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand, Captain [[William Hobson]], sent the ship {{HMS|Britomart|1820|6}} to proclaim [[sovereignty]] over the area for the British Crown. HMS ''Britomart'' arrived in Akaroa on 16 August 1840, although the captain's log shows the arrival date as 11 August. Captain Stanley raised the British flag, and held a court at each of the occupied settlements, to convince the French that the area was indeed under British control.<ref name=MB/> A monument at the eastern edge of the town commemorates the British arrival.

James Robinson Clough, also known as Jimmy Robinson, had arrived at Akaroa several years before. He acted as interpreter for Captain Owen Stanley at the flag-raising of 1840, and was the first European to travel up the [[Avon River / Ōtākaro]] in 1843. Clough's descendants are still prominent on the Peninsula today.

British immigrants settled in both Akaroa and German Bay ([[Takamatua]]), along with many German farmers, who set up dairy, sheep and cocksfoot (''[[Dactylis glomerata]]'') farms. The great majority of the artefacts currently held at Akaroa Museum are of the early farming community and their way of life at the time.

Arriving from England in April 1850, the ''Monarch'', needing repairs'','' sailed into Akaroa Harbour. It was bound for Auckland however forty of the passengers decided to stay in Akaroa.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=John Wilson |first=Louise Beaumont |date=June 2009 |title=Akaroa Historical Overview |url=https://ccc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/The-Council/Plans-Strategies-Policies-Bylaws/Plans/district-plan/banks-peninsula/AkaroaHistoricalOverview-part-1.pdf |access-date=2 June 2023 |website=[[Christchurch City Council]] }}</ref> The British immigrants settled at the southern end of Akaroa with the French living at the northern end with a small bay separating the two.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Turner |first=Gwenda |title=Akaroa |publisher=John McIndoe |year=1977 |isbn=0-908565-41-0 |location=Dunedin, New Zealand |pages=14}}</ref>

Akaroa was described in 1854 as “altogether very like a small seaside village in England”. In 1878, there were only ten French born residents in the town of Akaroa out of a population of 642 people. A further 27 French born people lived outside the town boundaries.<ref name=":0" />

Businesses grew in Akaroa and by 1883 there were five builders, four confectioners, eight general stores, five milk-sellers, four shoemakers, two bankers, five milliners and five blacksmiths.<ref name=":0" />

Daly's wharf was built between 1863 and 1865 and refurbished in 1914.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DALY'S WHARF |url=http://www.akaroacivictrust.co.nz/fastpage/fpengine.php/templateid/56/menuid/1/tempidx/2/catid/1/editstatus/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=www.akaroacivictrust.co.nz}}</ref> Located at the end of Rue Balguerie, it has been used by coastal ships and fishing boats. At the end of the wharf, an octagonal building with a turret roof was built by 1932.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 January 2015 |title=DALY'S WHARF, SHELTER AND SETTING 1A RUE BALGUERIE, AKAROA |url=https://districtplan.ccc.govt.nz/Images/DistrictPlanImages/Statement%20of%20Significance/Banks%20Peninsula/HID%201210.pdf |access-date=22 May 2023 |website=[[Christchurch City Council]] }}</ref>

Akaroa was described as  a “long favourite holiday haven not only for New Zealanders but visitors from Australia and the Old World” in 1903. At this time, most of Akaroa was concentrated around the waterfront with only a few houses built on the hillsides. The population living in Akaroa was 559 people with a total of 124 houses in 1901.<ref name=":0" />

The main wharf at Akaroa was built in 1887.<ref name="Akaroa Wharf">{{Cite web |title=Akaroa Wharf |url=https://ccc.govt.nz/the-council/future-projects/major-facilities/akaroa-wharf/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=[[Christchurch City Council]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> Plans were made in 2022 to rebuild the main wharf in the same position that it currently is, as it was nearing the end of its useable life.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-13 |title=$19.1 million Akaroa Wharf plan progresses |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-christchurch/191-million-akaroa-wharf-plan-progresses |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=[[Otago Daily Times]] |language=en}}</ref> The rebuild is expected to cost $19.1 million and be completed by 30 June 2025.<ref name="Akaroa Wharf"/>