Comte de Paris was the Nanto Bordelaise Company’s 501-tonne sailing ship that carried the French and German settlers to a new home in Akaroa, New Zealand. Leaving poverty in France they headed to a new wilderness, and to the first planned European settlement in the South Island, today many of their descendants remain and have formed the Comte de Paris descendants group.

Langois’ Banks Peninsula Purchase and Nanto-Bordelaise Company

Langois, a French whaling captain, had made a purchase of Banks Peninsula from Ngai Tahu Māori chiefs in Little Port Cooper in August 1838 and promised to pay a total of 1000 francs.

Returning to France the Nanto-Bordelaise Company was formed and King Louis Philippe’s gave permission in December 1839. A ship called the Mahé was given to the settler company and renamed Comte de Paris after the infant heir to the French throne Prince Philippe d’Orléans, Count of Paris, who was later taken into exile in England during the Revolution of 1948.

A Rough Voyage for the Comte de Paris

The ship departed France on the 8th of March 1840, from Rochefort, and it was not plain sailing. The ship was first delayed by 10 days when it got stuck on a mud bank and cargo had to be unloaded. Later the ship was caught in a storm off Tasmania and lost both of the main masts, already unwieldy and uncomfortable at sea, this slowed the voyage down even more. Two men died aboard and a baby was born.

Arriving at Akaroa, the ship found it could not enter the harbour and instead landed at Pigeon Bay where the French treaty was reinforced with local Māori and two people who had died aboard were buried.

Returning to Akaroa on the 17th August 1840, they found that as they sailed up the harbour two frigates lay at anchor, the French Aube which had accompanied them, as was expected, and the British Britomart.

What was worse, the Union Jack waved from a prominent headland with men gathered below the flag, laying British claim to the French territory, and dashing the hopes of a French South Island.