The Britomart Reserve on Akaroa’s waterfront, now a peaceful spot, was one of the busiest areas of the foreshore in the 1840s. Fearing a Māori attack, a blockhouse was constructed on this land during that decade. In 1856, it was officially designated a reserve and later, in 1887, it was transferred to the Borough Council.

In 1908, the Akaroa Beautifying Association enhanced the reserve, adding lawns, trees, and a post-and-chain fence. That same year, a cannon was placed on the reserve. Although commonly believed to be from the Britomart, the British naval vessel that asserted British sovereignty over the South Island in 1840, the cannon was actually an 1808 Kinman model sent by the British Admiralty for display at the 1906-07 International Exhibition in Christchurch. The cannon, arranged for Akaroa by then-mayor Etienne Le Lievre, was transferred to the reserve after the exhibition to commemorate the historical role of the Britomart.