Peraki facts for kids
Peraki is a beautiful bay located on the south side of Banks Peninsula in New Zealand. Its name comes from the Māori language, and it was first spelled as Pireka. This bay is very important because it was the first place where European settlers built a lasting home in the Canterbury Region.
Peraki: A Historic Bay
Peraki is a quiet bay on the south side of the Banks Peninsula. This area is known for its stunning views and rich history. It holds a special place in New Zealand's past as the very first permanent European settlement in the Canterbury area.
The First European Settlers
The first European to settle permanently in Peraki was George Hempelman. He was a whaler from Prussia (which is now part of Germany). In 1835, George Hempelman set up a whaling station in the bay. A whaling station was a place where people would hunt whales and process them, usually to get oil from their blubber. By 1837, Hempelman had made Peraki his permanent home. Today, Peraki still has a small cemetery, which is one of the oldest European cemeteries in New Zealand.
A Special Memorial
To remember George Hempelman and his important role, a special memorial was placed on Peraki Beach in March 1939. Local councils, like the Wairewa and Akaroa Counties, helped pay for it. The memorial is made from a large metal pot called a whale try pot. This type of pot was used long ago to melt down whale blubber to make oil.
The memorial has words carved into it that say:
Erected to commemorate the centenary of the first white settler in Canterbury, New Zealand, Captain George Hempelman, who established a whaling station at Peraki in 1835.
This means it was put there to celebrate 100 years since George Hempelman first settled in Canterbury.
The Flag Incident
In the early days, George Hempelman used to fly the German flag outside his home in Peraki. However, in 1840, a British naval officer named Captain Owen Stanley arrived on his ship, HMS Britomart. Captain Stanley told Hempelman that he needed to take down the German flag. Instead, he was told to raise the Union Jack, which is the flag of the United Kingdom. This event showed the growing influence of the British in New Zealand at that time.
