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| A taste of France in the South | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 21 2009, 10:33 AM (9 Views) | |
| Kahu | Oct 21 2009, 10:33 AM Post #1 |
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A taste of France in the south By MILES GODFREY - AAP Frenchman Jean Francois Langlois must have choked on his champagne. You would if your fireworks were urinated on by stinky English sailors. In August 1838 Langlois bought the Banks Peninsula on New Zealand's South Island from local Maori for two manky cloaks, six pairs of trousers, 12 hats, two pairs of shoes, some rusty old pistols and two shirts. Bargain. Langlois, then aged 30 and rubbing his hands with glee at having secured the 1000 km sq peninsula and a strategic stronghold in the New World for France, set sail for Europe to pick up a motley crew of settlers. He returned south in 1840 only to find the pesky British had claimed the peninsula and most of the rest of New Zealand for themselves. As Langlois entered the peninsula's natural harbour, formed by the remnant of a volcano crater, he was forced to inhale a sharp breath because there fluttering in front of him like a big middle finger was the British Union Jack flag. Despite the setback, and presumably with a philosophical Gallic grunt, Langlois and the settlers decided to stay anyway. Story link |
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4:22 PM Nov 28
