116-659: The Rauoterangi Channel , also known as the Otaheke Strait , is a channel that separates Kapiti Island from the Kāpiti Coast of the North Island in New Zealand. Rauoterangi Channel sits between Kapiti Island and the Kāpiti Coast settlements of Waikanae Beach and Paraparaumu Beach . The channel is 5.6 km (3.5 mi) wide, up to 70 m (230 ft) deep, and typically has strong ocean currents. The western side of
232-536: A breeding site for seabirds such as the sooty shearwater (tītī). However, sooty shearwaters have been under threat on the island because of predation by weka. Other birds that use the island for breeding include the spotted shag . Kapiti Island is one of Wellington region's "coastal habitats of significance for indigenous birds". It provides predator-free nesting habitat to little blue penguins , red-billed gulls , white-fronted terns and reef herons . A further four Nationally Threatened or At Risk species occur on
348-548: A Scottish farm labourer from Ednam in Roxburghshire , and his locally born wife, Grace Pace (1702–1765), from Thornaby-on-Tees . In 1736, his family moved to Airey Holme farm at Great Ayton , where his father's employer, Thomas Skottowe, paid for him to attend the local school. In 1741, after five years of schooling, he began work for his father, who had been promoted to farm manager. Despite not being formally educated, he became capable in mathematics, astronomy and charting by
464-572: A biographer of Cook, described Cook as being "over six feet high" with "dark brown hair", "bushy eyebrows", and "small brown eyes". Cook's first posting was with HMS Eagle , serving as able seaman and master's mate under Captain Joseph Hamar for his first year aboard, and Captain Hugh Palliser thereafter. In October and November 1755, he took part in Eagle' s capture of one French warship and
580-589: A centre for the New Zealand flax trade . By 1850, no members of Ngāti Toa permanently lived on the island, but occasionally visited for the island's resources. In the 1830s and 1840s, the island became one of the most developed areas in the country for whaling , due to the South Taranaki Bight and Cook Strait being whale nurseries. During whaling times 2,000 people were based on the island. There were seven whaling stations in and around Kapiti Island. Oil
696-478: A coconut, attempted to distract Cook and his men as a large crowd began to form at the shore. At this point, the king began to understand that Cook was his enemy. As Cook turned his back to help launch the boats, he was struck on the head by the villagers and then stabbed to death as he fell on his face in the surf . He was first struck on the head with a club by a chief named Kalaimanokahoʻowaha or Kanaʻina (namesake of Charles Kana'ina ) and then stabbed by one of
812-602: A final sweep across the South Atlantic from Cape Horn and surveyed, mapped, and took possession for Britain of South Georgia , which had been explored by the English merchant Anthony de la Roché in 1675. Cook also discovered and named Clerke Rocks and the South Sandwich Islands ("Sandwich Land"). He then turned north to South Africa and from there continued back to England. His reports upon his return home put to rest
928-618: A formal burial at sea . Clerke assumed leadership of the expedition and made a final attempt to pass through the Bering Strait. He died of tuberculosis on 22 August 1779 and John Gore , a veteran of Cook's first voyage, took command of Resolution and of the expedition. James King replaced Gore in command of Discovery . The expedition returned home, reaching England in October 1780. After their arrival in England, King completed Cook's account of
1044-457: A hero among the scientific community. Among the general public, however, the aristocratic botanist Joseph Banks was a greater hero. Banks even attempted to take command of Cook's second voyage but removed himself from the voyage before it began, and Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster were taken on as scientists for the voyage. Cook's son George was born five days before he left for his second voyage. Shortly after his return from
1160-549: A hurricane in the West Indies ), Elizabeth (1767–1771), Joseph (1768–1768), George (1772–1772) and Hugh (1776–1793, who died of scarlet fever while a student at Christ's College, Cambridge ). When not at sea, Cook lived in the East End of London . He attended St Paul's Church, Shadwell , where his son James was baptised. Cook has no direct descendants – all of his children died before having children of their own. Sir Walter Besant ,
1276-405: A leaseholder and sheep farmer on the island, turn his farm into a game reserve, releasing quail, pheasants and later brushtail possums onto the island. By the 1900s, most of the island had been acquired by the New Zealand government for the reserve, except for a section in the north. As the land at the north end could no longer be leased to European farmers, it was farmed directly by Ngāti Toa as
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#17328513613491392-606: A pair of the now-extinct huia were going to be sent to Kapiti Island, but were instead taken to England as a present for Lord Rothschild . Suggestions were also made to move now-extinct South Island piopio to Kapiti Island, or another island, but this did not happen due to difficulty capturing the birds. In 1924, the New Zealand Native Birds Protection Society (predecessor of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society ), reported that there had been
1508-545: A penal settlement in 1788. Artists also sailed on Cook's first voyage. Sydney Parkinson was heavily involved in documenting the botanists' findings, completing 264 drawings before his death near the end of the voyage. They were of immense scientific value to British botanists. Cook's second expedition included William Hodges , who produced notable landscape paintings of Tahiti, Easter Island , and other locations. Several officers who served under Cook went on to distinctive accomplishments. William Bligh , Cook's sailing master ,
1624-451: A picnic area and a feeding station for hihi on the route to the summit of the island. The Trig Track is 2 km (1.2 mi) one way, and ascends to near the summit, taking approximately 2 hours to complete. The Okupe Valley Loop Track is 4.8 km (3.0 mi) and takes approximately 90 minutes, going to cliffs on the west of Kapiti Island. The Boulder Bank Loop Track is 2 km (1.2 mi) and takes approximately 45 minutes, following
1740-518: A predator-free sanctuary for endemic birds, including many endangered birds. The island is 10 km (6.2 mi) long, running southwest/northeast, and roughly 2 km (1.2 mi) wide, being more or less rectangular in shape, and has an area of 19.65 km (7.59 sq mi). The island is separated from the North Island by the Rauoterangi Channel . The highest point on the island
1856-463: A right-angled triangle, revealing its origins from lying on a fault line (part of the same ridge as the Tararua Range ). The island's vegetation is dominated by scrub and forest of kohekohe , tawa , and kanuka . Most of the forest is regenerating after years of burn-offs and farming, but some areas of original bush remain, with 30 m (98 ft) trees. The full original name for the island
1972-535: A second fruitless attempt to find the supposed continent. On this leg of the voyage, he brought a young Tahitian named Omai , who proved to be somewhat less knowledgeable about the Pacific than Tupaia had been on the first voyage. On his return voyage to New Zealand in 1774, Cook landed at the Friendly Islands , Easter Island , Norfolk Island , New Caledonia , and Vanuatu . Before returning to England, Cook made
2088-475: A settlement and British colonial outpost. After his departure from Botany Bay, he continued northwards. He stopped at Bustard Bay (now known as Seventeen Seventy ) on 23 May 1770. On 24 May, Cook and Banks and others went ashore. Continuing north, on 11 June a mishap occurred when Endeavour ran aground on a shoal of the Great Barrier Reef , and then "nursed into a river mouth on 18 June 1770". The ship
2204-668: A sheep farm by the Webber family. The Webber family continued to farm on the island until the 1950s, most land being sold in 1967, however Ngāti Toa retain some land and rights of access to the island. Kapiti Island was identified in 1870 as a possible site for creating a bird sanctuary. By 1895, the government had begun considering making Kapiti Island into a wildlife reserve, due to the losses in native flora and fauna caused by introduced predators and deforestation across mainland New Zealand. Parata and his family members protested these plans, and in 1896 stated that they had no intention of selling
2320-772: A significant improvement in the condition of the island, following a reduction in the number of animals. In 1928, goats were eradicated, which was followed by the eradication or eviction of cats, deer, sheep, cattle, pigs, and dogs. In 1987 the Department of Conservation (DOC) took over administration of the island. In the 1980s and 1990s efforts were made to return the island to a natural state . First, sheep and possums were removed (over 22,500 possums were killed), then, in an action few thought possible for an island of its size, rats were eradicated by an aerial application of brodifacoum through September and October 1996. Ranger Peter Winston Daniel, who between 1980 and 1987 coordinated
2436-573: A single visit, Cook charted the majority of the North American northwest coastline on world maps for the first time, determined the extent of Alaska, and closed the gaps in Russian (from the west) and Spanish (from the south) exploratory probes of the northern limits of the Pacific. By the second week of August 1778, Cook was through the Bering Strait, sailing into the Chukchi Sea . He headed northeast up
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#17328513613492552-520: A talent for surveying and cartography and was responsible for mapping much of the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege, thus allowing General Wolfe to make his famous stealth attack during the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham . Cook's surveying ability was also put to use in mapping the jagged coast of Newfoundland in the 1760s, aboard HMS Grenville . He surveyed
2668-437: Is Te Waewae-Kapiti-o-Tara-rāua-ko-Rangitāne , meaning "the boundary of Tara and Rangitāne" and referring to it as a place where the rohe (territories) of Ngāi Tara (now known as Muaūpoko ) and Rangitāne (descendents of Whātonga ) iwi adjoined each other. The word kapiti (meaning 'to be joined') is spelt without a macron , and is unrelated to the word kāpiti (cabbage). The island does not have an official name, but
2784-465: Is 1.8 km (1.1 mi) and takes approximately 90 minutes. This is a loop and goes through regenerating forest, coastal shrubland, and the Rangatira wetland via a boardwalk. This track allows visitors to see trypots previously used for rendering whale blubber, and the historic Whare. The Wilkinson Track is 3.8 km (2.4 mi) one way, and takes approximately 2 hours to complete. It passes through
2900-567: Is 30 kilometres north of Wellington , and separated from the mainland by the Rauoterangi Channel. Several islets are located in the channel close to island, including Tokomāpuna Island / Aeroplane Island, Tahoramaurea Island / Browns Island and Motungārara Island / Fishermans Island. There are multiple active fault lines around both sides of Kapiti Island. The eastern side of Kapiti Island has steep cliffs which were created due to uplift from an offshore fault and waves causing erosion on
3016-403: Is Tūteremoana, 521 m (1,709 ft). The seaward (west) side of the island is particularly rocky and has high cliffs, some hundreds of metres high, that drop straight into the sea. The cliffs are subject to very strong prevailing westerly winds and the scrubby vegetation that grows there is low and stunted by the harsh environmental conditions. A cross-section of the island would show almost
3132-496: Is debate on whether he can be held responsible for paving the way for British imperialism and colonialism . James Cook was born on 7 November [ O.S. 27 October] 1728 in the village of Marton in the North Riding of Yorkshire and baptised on 14 November (N.S.) in the parish church of St Cuthbert , where his name can be seen in the church register. He was the second of eight children of James Cook (1693–1779),
3248-474: Is not known, but evidence suggests that it was built in 1880 or earlier. The building was used to accommodate people involved with the farming of sheep on the island at the time. After the island became a nature reserve, the Whare housed caretakers and conservationists, including Richard Henry . After a building specially made for caretakers was constructed in the early 20th century, the Whare was used to house guests of
3364-639: Is possible for a man to go". On 25 May 1768, the Admiralty commissioned Cook to command a scientific voyage to the Pacific Ocean. The purpose of the voyage was to observe and record the 1769 transit of Venus across the Sun which, when combined with observations from other places, would help to determine the distance of the Earth from the Sun. Cook, at age 39, was promoted to lieutenant to grant him sufficient status to take
3480-682: Is recorded on topographical maps and hence in the New Zealand Gazetteer as Kapiti Island . In 2010 the Māori Language Commission acknowledged that, while the ordinary word kapiti does not have a macron, iwi of the Kāpiti region have evidence from history and local pronunciation that the place name is a variant form of āpiti , and that Kāpiti (with a macron) is correct. In the past, it was sometimes spelt Capiti Island . The island also became known by Māori as Motu Rongonui , or
3596-466: Is situated in the Kapiti Marine Reserve . The channel is known for whale migrations, and is a habitat for species including blue cod , butterflyfish , pāua and crayfish . The channel is named after Kahe Te Rau-o-te-rangi , a Ngāti Toa chieftainess who swam the length of the channel in 1824 in order to warn people on the mainland of a potential attack. The Kapiti Island Ferry traverses
Rauoterangi Channel - Misplaced Pages Continue
3712-539: Is split into eastern and western sections. The eastern section is 1,825 ha (4,510 acres) and extends from Kapiti Island to the Waikanae Estuary Scientific Reserve . There is a 70 m deep channel with strong currents between the island and the Waikanae coast. Whales were regularly seen in the passage until the 20th century. The western section of the reserve is an area of 342 ha (850 acres) to
3828-514: Is the warmest month with a mean temperature of 16.9 °C, July is the coldest with a mean of 8.9 °C. Kapiti Island only experiences an average of 0.4 frosts per year. Most wind comes from the north-west. Kapiti's tawa forest is often covered by a cloud cap which causes increased precipitation and soil moisture in the area, and decreased temperature and sunlight. Kapiti Island is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) long and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide, with an area of 1,965 ha (4,860 acres). It
3944-578: The Baltic Sea . After passing his examinations in 1752, he soon progressed through the merchant navy ranks, starting with his promotion in that year to mate aboard the collier brig Friendship . In 1755, within a month of being offered command of this vessel, he volunteered for service in the Royal Navy, when Britain was re-arming for what was to become the Seven Years' War . Despite the need to start back at
4060-644: The Copley Gold Medal for completing his second voyage without losing a man to scurvy . Nathaniel Dance-Holland painted his portrait; he dined with James Boswell ; he was described in the House of Lords as "the first navigator in Europe". But he could not be kept away from the sea. A third voyage was planned, and Cook volunteered to find the Northwest Passage . He travelled to the Pacific and hoped to travel east to
4176-657: The Seven Years' War and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the St. Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec , which brought him to the attention of the Admiralty and the Royal Society . This acclaim came at a crucial moment for the direction of British overseas exploration, and it led to his commission in 1768 as commander of HMS Endeavour for the first of three Pacific voyages. In these voyages, Cook sailed thousands of miles across largely uncharted areas of
4292-478: The South Island to Kapiti Island in 1912. There are currently 1,200 little spotted kiwi on Kapiti Island, which are now extinct on the mainland. On 12 October 1912, three kākāpō were released on Kapiti Island. Rat eradication has led to increases in red-fronted parakeets , North Island robins, bellbirds , and saddlebacks. The island is considered one of New Zealand's most important sites for bird recovery, and
4408-636: The rohe of Muaūpoko. Te Rauparaha of Ngāti Toa saw the advantage of settling on Kapiti Island, after noticing how Western ships frequented the Cook Strait area, who would be good trading partners. In 1821, amid pressure from tribes in the Waikato, Te Rauparaha led a migration of Ngāti Toa from Kawhia Harbour to the Cook Strait , and went on to settle on the Kapiti Coast and Waikanae in 1822, securing it and
4524-460: The " Bay of Despair ". While in Newfoundland, Cook also conducted astronomical observations, in particular of the eclipse of the sun on 5 August 1766. By obtaining an accurate estimate of the time of the start and finish of the eclipse, and comparing these with the timings at a known position in England, it was possible to calculate the longitude of the observation site in Newfoundland. This result
4640-418: The "famous island". When James Cook visited New Zealand during his 1770 survey , he called it Entry Island or Entry Isle, but Cook's name did not come into common use. The Kāpiti Coast region has been occupied by Māori since the 12th century . Around the year 1150, Māori navigator Whātonga of the waka Kurahaupō divided the country into two sections: land from the southern tip of Kapiti Island north
4756-404: The Admiralty and Royal Society at a crucial moment both in his career and in the direction of British overseas discovery. Cook's maps were used into the 20th century, with copies being referenced by those sailing Newfoundland's waters for 200 years. Following his exertions in Newfoundland, Cook wrote that he intended to go not only "farther than any man has been before me, but as far as I think it
Rauoterangi Channel - Misplaced Pages Continue
4872-706: The Atlantic, while a simultaneous voyage travelled the opposite route. On his last voyage, Cook again commanded HMS Resolution , while Captain Charles Clerke commanded HMS Discovery . The voyage was ostensibly planned to return the Pacific Islander Omai to Tahiti, or so the public was led to believe. The trip's principal goal was to locate a Northwest Passage around the American continent. After dropping Omai at Tahiti, Cook travelled north and in 1778 became
4988-460: The Crown , with a small part owned by Māori. The islets surrounding Kapiti are also Māori-owned. Kapiti Island has several sites recognised by Heritage New Zealand . One such building is named 'The Whare', which is located around the centre of the island. It is the oldest building on Kapiti Island and is New Zealand's oldest building associated with conservation. The construction date of this building
5104-498: The English coast. His first assignment was aboard the collier Freelove , and he spent several years on this and various other coasters , sailing between the Tyne and London. As part of his apprenticeship, Cook applied himself to the study of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, navigation and astronomy – all skills he would need one day to command his own ship. His three-year apprenticeship completed, Cook began working on merchant ships in
5220-462: The Indigenous population without success. At first Cook named the inlet "Sting-Ray Harbour" after the many stingrays found there. This was later changed to "Botanist Bay" and finally Botany Bay after the unique specimens retrieved by the botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander . This first landing site was later to be promoted (particularly by Joseph Banks) as a suitable candidate for situating
5336-536: The K1 chronometer made by Larcum Kendall , which was the shape of a large pocket watch, 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter. It was a copy of the H4 clock made by John Harrison , which proved to be the first to keep accurate time at sea when used on the ship Deptford ' s journey to Jamaica in 1761–62. He succeeded in circumnavigating the world on his first voyage without losing a single man to scurvy , an unusual accomplishment at
5452-770: The NSW Government at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London. In 1887 the London-based Agent-General for the New South Wales Government, Saul Samuel, bought John Mackrell's items and also acquired items belonging to the other relatives Reverend Canon Frederick Bennett, Mrs Thomas Langton, H.M.C. Alexander, and William Adams. The collection remained with the Colonial Secretary of NSW until 1894, when it
5568-734: The Oregon coast at approximately 44°30′ north latitude, naming Cape Foulweather , after the bad weather which forced his ships south to about 43° north before they could begin their exploration of the coast northward. He unknowingly sailed past the Strait of Juan de Fuca and soon after entered Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island . He anchored near the First Nations village of Yuquot . Cook's two ships remained in Nootka Sound from 29 March to 26 April 1778, in what Cook called Ship Cove, now Resolution Cove, at
5684-505: The Pacific , Cook encountered the Hawaiian islands in 1779. He was killed while attempting to take hostage Kalaniʻōpuʻu , chief of the island of Hawaii , during a dispute. He left a legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge that influenced his successors well into the 20th century, and numerous memorials worldwide have been dedicated to him. He remains controversial for his occasionally violent encounters with indigenous peoples and there
5800-548: The Pacific Ocean and to New Zealand and Australia in particular. He made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager and joined the Royal Navy in 1755. He served during
5916-463: The Rauoterangi Channel, between Paraparaumu Beach and Kapiti Island. Kapiti Island Kapiti Island ( [kɑːpiti] ), sometimes written as Kāpiti Island , is an island nature reserve located 5.6 km (3 mi) off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand and within the Kāpiti Coast District . Parts of the island were previously farmed, but it is now
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#17328513613496032-551: The Shore as to distinguish several people upon the Sea beach they appear'd to be of a very dark or black Colour but whether this was the real colour of their skins or the C[l]othes they might have on I know not." Endeavour continued northwards along the coastline, keeping the land in sight with Cook charting and naming landmarks as he went. On 29 April, Cook and crew made their first landfall on
6148-555: The Terra Australis was believed to lie further south. Despite this evidence to the contrary, Alexander Dalrymple and others of the Royal Society still believed that a massive southern continent should exist. Cook commanded HMS Resolution on this voyage, while Tobias Furneaux commanded its companion ship, HMS Adventure . Cook's expedition circumnavigated the globe at an extreme southern latitude , becoming one of
6264-639: The aid of Tupaia , a Tahitian priest who had joined the expedition, Cook was the first European to communicate with the Māori . However, at least eight Māori were killed in violent encounters. Cook then voyaged west, reaching the southeastern coast of Australia near today's Point Hicks on 19 April 1770, and in doing so his expedition became the first recorded Europeans to have encountered its eastern coastline. On 23 April, he made his first recorded direct observation of Aboriginal Australians at Brush Island near Bawley Point , noting in his journal: "... and were so near
6380-519: The angle of the sun or a star above the horizon with an instrument such as a backstaff or quadrant . Longitude was more difficult to measure accurately because it requires precise knowledge of the time difference between points on the surface of the Earth. The Earth turns a full 360 degrees relative to the Sun each day. Thus longitude corresponds to time: 15 degrees every hour, or 1 degree every 4 minutes. Cook gathered accurate longitude measurements during his first voyage from his navigational skills, with
6496-606: The archipelago for some eight weeks, he made landfall at Kealakekua Bay on Hawai'i Island , the largest island in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Cook's arrival coincided with the Makahiki , a Hawaiian harvest festival of worship for the Polynesian god Lono . Coincidentally the form of Cook's ship, HMS Resolution , or more particularly the mast formation, sails and rigging, resembled certain significant artefacts that formed part of
6612-528: The bird life in New Zealand, was seen on the island in December 2010, and by August the next year the Department of Conservation had removed three of them. It is believed that they reached Kapiti Island by a combination of drifting and swimming from the mainland. The Kapiti Marine Reserve was established in 1992. No fishing is allowed in this reserve, but swimming, diving and snorkelling are permitted. The reserve
6728-634: The bottom of the naval hierarchy, Cook realised his career would advance more quickly in military service and entered the Navy at Wapping on 17 June 1755. Cook married Elizabeth Batts , the daughter of Samuel Batts, keeper of the Bell Inn in Wapping and one of his mentors, on 21 December 1762 at St Margaret's Church, Barking , Essex. The couple had six children: James (1763–1794), Nathaniel (1764–1780, lost aboard HMS Thunderer which foundered with all hands in
6844-437: The breeding programme of Pukaha / Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre between 1994 and 1997. All the birds were banded. In 2002, the population of kōkako on the island was 39, and 10 of 32 translocated kōkako had survived. The island is home to a number of lizard species, including the Oligosoma polychroma , brown skink , copper skink , common gecko , ornate skink , forest gecko , and Wellington green gecko . After
6960-408: The channel is dominated by rocky reefs, from which a number of small islands emerge. These include Motungārara Island / Fishermans Island, Passage Rocks, Tahoramaurea Island / Browns Island, Tokomāpuna Island / Aeroplane Island and White Rocks. The modern channel began forming when sea levels began to rise after the end of the Last Glacial Maximum , approximately 7,000 years ago. Much of the channel
7076-625: The coast of Alaska until he was blocked by sea ice at a latitude of 70°44′ north. Cook then sailed west to the Siberian coast, and then southeast down the Siberian coast back to the Bering Strait. By early September 1778, he was back in the Bering Sea to begin the trip to the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands. He became increasingly frustrated on this voyage and perhaps began to suffer from a stomach ailment; it has been speculated that this led to irrational behaviour towards his crew, such as forcing them to eat walrus meat, which they had pronounced inedible. Cook returned to Hawaii in 1779. After sailing around
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#17328513613497192-675: The coast of Kapiti Island – the black shag , Caspian tern , pied shag and variable oystercatcher . North Island saddlebacks have been translocated from the Hauraki Gulf to Kapiti Island since 1981. The mean annual population growth rate for saddlebacks on Kapiti Island since 1998 has been 33%. Between 1991 and 1997, 32 North Island kōkako were translocated to Kapiti Island. Between December 1991 and April 1994, 12 adults came from Te Rauamoa (four), Hauturu (one), Manawahe (five), and Makino (two). Between June 1995 and March 1996, seven kōkako came from Little Barrier Island. Five came from Mapara Wildlife Reserve in 1996, and eight came from
7308-426: The coastline around the boulder bank. It is closed between October and March to prevent people disturbing nesting birds. A film for television Island of Spirits , was made by Alistair Te Ariki Campbell in 1973, exploring the history of the island from the time of it being a base for Māori chief Te Rauparaha, to being the site of whaling stations and then its transition to a bird sanctuary. The 2005 film King Kong
7424-435: The coming of Cook is often used to signify the onset of the colonisation . Cook carried several scientists on his voyages; they made significant observations and discoveries. Two botanists, Joseph Banks and the Swede Daniel Solander, sailed on the first voyage. The two collected over 3,000 plant species. Banks subsequently strongly promoted British settlement of Australia, leading to the establishment of New South Wales as
7540-414: The command. For its part, the Royal Society agreed that Cook would receive a one hundred guinea gratuity in addition to his Naval pay. The expedition sailed aboard HMS Endeavour , departing England on 26 August 1768. Cook and his crew rounded Cape Horn and continued westward across the Pacific, arriving at Tahiti on 13 April 1769, where the observations of the transit were made. However,
7656-421: The continent at a beach now known as Silver Beach on Botany Bay ( Kamay Botany Bay National Park ). Two Gweagal men of the Dharawal / Eora nation opposed their landing and in the confrontation one of them was shot and wounded. Cook and his crew stayed at Botany Bay for a week, collecting water, timber, fodder and botanical specimens and exploring the surrounding area. Cook sought to establish relations with
7772-403: The documents and memorabilia were transferred to the Mitchell Library in the State Library of New South Wales . The provenance of the collection shows that the objects remained in the hands of Cook's widow Elizabeth Cook, and her descendants, until 1886. In this year John Mackrell, the great-nephew of Isaac Smith , Elizabeth Cook's cousin, organised the display of this collection at the request of
7888-412: The effects contained in her, nor obstruct her immediate return to England by detaining her or sending her into any other part of Europe or to America; but that you treat the said Captain Cook and his people with all civility and kindness ... as common friends to mankind." A U.S. coin, the 1928 Hawaii Sesquicentennial half-dollar , carries Cook's image. Minted for the 150th anniversary of his discovery of
8004-464: The entire coastline that he had just explored as British territory. Cook returned to England via Batavia (modern Jakarta , Indonesia), where many in his crew succumbed to malaria , and then the Cape of Good Hope , arriving at the island of Saint Helena on 30 April 1771. The ship finally returned to England on 12 July 1771, anchoring in The Downs, with Cook going to Deal. Cook's journals were published upon his return, and he became something of
8120-417: The eradication of pests, the population of some of these multiplied by rates between 2 times and 28 times. Gold-striped geckos were discovered on Kapiti Island in 2013. New Zealand long-tailed bats live on Kapiti. Twenty southern lesser short-tailed bats were translocated from the Tararua Range to Kapiti Island by the Department of Conservation in April 2005, but they suffered health problems and
8236-451: The first European to begin formal contact with the Hawaiian Islands . After his initial landfall in January 1778 at Waimea harbour, Kauai , Cook named the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands" after the fourth Earl of Sandwich —the acting First Lord of the Admiralty . From the Sandwich Islands, Cook sailed north and then northeast to explore the west coast of North America north of the Spanish settlements in Alta California . He sighted
8352-607: The first to cross the Antarctic Circle on 17 January 1773. In the Antarctic fog, Resolution and Adventure became separated. Furneaux made his way to New Zealand, where he lost some of his men during an encounter with Māori, and eventually sailed back to Britain, while Cook continued to explore the Antarctic, reaching 71°10'S on 31 January 1774. Cook almost encountered the mainland of Antarctica but turned towards Tahiti to resupply his ship. He then resumed his southward course in
8468-519: The first voyage, Cook was promoted in August 1771 to the rank of commander . In 1772, he was commissioned to lead another scientific expedition on behalf of the Royal Society, to search for the hypothetical Terra Australis. On his first voyage, Cook had demonstrated by circumnavigating New Zealand that it was not attached to a larger landmass to the south. Although he charted almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia, showing it to be continental in size,
8584-694: The frigate HMS Solebay as master under Captain Robert Craig. During the Seven Years' War , Cook served in North America as master aboard the fourth-rate Navy vessel HMS Pembroke . With others in Pembroke ' s crew, he took part in the major amphibious assault that captured the Fortress of Louisbourg from the French in 1758, and in the siege of Quebec City in 1759. Throughout his service he demonstrated
8700-441: The globe. He mapped lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean in greater detail and on a scale not previously charted by Western explorers. He surveyed and named features, and recorded islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage, and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions. During his third voyage in
8816-555: The help of astronomer Charles Green , and by using the newly published Nautical Almanac tables, via the lunar distance method – measuring the angular distance from the Moon to either the Sun during daytime or one of eight bright stars during night-time to determine the time at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich , and comparing that to his local time determined via the altitude of the Sun, Moon, or stars. On his second voyage, Cook used
8932-459: The island and managed to contain the blaze, preventing serious damage to the ecosystem. The island is home to a number of native bird species, mostly re-introduced. These include the takahē , North Island kōkako , brown teal (pāteke), stitchbird (hihi), North Island saddleback (tīeke), tomtit (miromiro), fantail (piwakawaka), morepork (ruru), weka and North Island robin (toutouwai). Five little spotted kiwi were translocated from
9048-557: The island from Muaūpoko in 1823. The tribe regularly sailed in canoes on raiding journeys up to the Whanganui River and down to Marlborough . In the Battle of Waiorua (1824) the Ngāti Toa destroyed a force of 2,000 mainland warriors who had landed at the northern end of Kapiti in an attempt to capture the island. Te Rauparaha encouraged European ships to visit Kapiti, which by 1830 became
9164-466: The island include cave wētā , Kapiti ground wētā , cicada , Lycaena salustius , pūriri moth , tunnel web spider , stick insect , ngāokeoke and the giraffe weevil . In 1999, the Minister of Conservation declared that the island was free of rats and other mammalian predators. The island has over 200 traps for rodents and mustelids . A stoat , an introduced mustelid responsible for decimating
9280-425: The island instead. Another heritage site is Te Kahuoterangi Whaling Station, a whaling station built between the 1830s and 1840s. It is about a kilometre south of Waiorua Bay and is under coastal forest and dense scrub. It is not known when operation of the station started, but evidence suggests that the station was in operation in 1839 and ended in 1843. In 1843 it was the station of multiple boats. The remains of
9396-460: The island. A submarine canyon called the Kapiti Seavalley runs parallel to the island, approximately seven kilometres to the west. On the north of the island is a freshwater lake called Ōkupe Lagoon. There are several streams which travel eastwards. The highest point on the island is named Tūteremoana, which is 521 metres (1,709 ft) above sea level. Most of the island in owned by
9512-419: The island. Currently 28% of Kapiti Island's land area is covered by mixed forest and another 22% is covered by kanuka scrub forest. The most widespread forest types are kohekohe and tawa . On 14 June 2007, one of the buildings at the Department of Conservation ranger station caught fire, sparking a major emergency operation to prevent the spread of fire to the native bush. Thirty firefighters were flown to
9628-558: The island. The island was originally forested with rātā , kahikatea and rimu . Between 1825 and 1840 part of the island's vegetation was burned to allow for farming. Between 1874 and the 1890s, the Māori Land Court partitioned the island into blocks, primarily owned by Western Maori MP Wiremu Parata and his family members. In the 1890s, the Wellington Acclimatisation Society requested that Alfred Ross,
9744-589: The islands, its low mintage (10,008) has made this example of an early United States commemorative coin both scarce and expensive. The site where he was killed in Hawaii was marked in 1874 by a white obelisk. This land, although in Hawaii, was deeded to the United Kingdom by Princess Likelike and her husband, Archibald Scott Cleghorn , to the British Consul to Hawaii, James Hay Wodehouse, in 1877. A nearby town
9860-441: The king's attendants, Nuaa. The Hawaiians carried his body away towards the back of the town, still visible to the ship through their spyglass. Four marines, Corporal James Thomas, Private Theophilus Hinks, Private Thomas Fatchett and Private John Allen, were also killed and two others wounded in the confrontation. The esteem which the islanders nevertheless held for Cook caused them to retain his body. Following their practice of
9976-473: The land to the government – by this time, Kapiti Island was the only part of the Ngāti Toa rohe still in Māori ownership. The Kapiti Island Public Reserve Act 1897 prohibited any further private sales of land on the island, and provided the basis for the island being acquired by the Crown, to be set aside as a nature reserve, with the exception of land still held by original Māori owners or their descendants. In 1893
10092-477: The mid-20th century. Upon his return, Cook was promoted to the rank of post-captain and given an honorary retirement from the Royal Navy, with a posting as an officer of the Greenwich Hospital . He reluctantly accepted, insisting that he be allowed to quit the post if an opportunity for active duty should arise. His fame extended beyond the Admiralty; he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society and awarded
10208-481: The north end is limited to 60 visitors per day. Visitors are not allowed to stay overnight in the area around Rangatira managed by the Department of Conservation. However, there is a private lodge at Waioura Bay on the north end of the island, operated by Kapiti Island Nature Tours where visitors can stay overnight. Walking tracks for visitors landing at the Rangatira area include the Rangatira Loop Track which
10324-495: The northernmost tip of the coast and, without leaving the ship, Cook named it York Cape (now Cape York ). Leaving the east coast, Cook turned west and nursed his battered ship through the dangerously shallow waters of Torres Strait . Searching for a vantage point, Cook saw a steep hill on a nearby island from the top of which he hoped to see "a passage into the Indian Seas". Cook named the island Possession Island , where he claimed
10440-560: The northwest stretch in 1763 and 1764, the south coast between the Burin Peninsula and Cape Ray in 1765 and 1766, and the west coast in 1767. At this time, Cook employed local pilots to point out the "rocks and hidden dangers" along the south and west coasts. During the 1765 season, four pilots were engaged at a daily pay of 4 shillings each: John Beck for the coast west of " Great St Lawrence ", Morgan Snook for Fortune Bay , John Dawson for Connaigre and Hermitage Bay , and John Peck for
10556-436: The popular myth of Terra Australis. Cook's second voyage marked a successful employment of Larcum Kendall's K1 copy of John Harrison 's H4 marine chronometer , which enabled Cook to calculate his longitudinal position with much greater accuracy. Cook's log was full of praise for this time-piece which he used to make charts of the southern Pacific Ocean that were so remarkably accurate that copies of them were still in use in
10672-412: The programme which eradicated the pests, was recognised in the 1990 New Year Honours . The island was declared free of mammalian predators in 1999. In 2003 the anonymous Biodiversity Action Group claimed to have released 11 possums on the island, but no evidence of such were found. Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai work with the Department of Conservation to guide conservation efforts on
10788-457: The result of the observations was not as conclusive or accurate as had been hoped. Once the observations were completed, Cook opened the sealed orders, which were additional instructions from the Admiralty for the second part of his voyage: to search the south Pacific for signs of the postulated rich southern continent of Terra Australis . Cook then sailed to New Zealand where he mapped the complete coastline, making only some minor errors. With
10904-519: The season of worship. Similarly, Cook's clockwise route around the island of Hawaii before making landfall resembled the processions that took place in a clockwise direction around the island during the Lono festivals. It has been argued (most extensively by Marshall Sahlins ) that such coincidences were the reasons for Cook's (and to a limited extent, his crew's) initial deification by some Hawaiians who treated Cook as an incarnation of Lono. Though this view
11020-518: The ships returned to Kealakekua Bay for repairs. Tensions rose, and quarrels broke out between the Europeans and Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay, including the theft of wood from a Hawaiian burial ground under Cook's orders. On 13 February 1779, an unknown group of Hawaiians stole one of Cook's longboats. By then the Hawaiian people had become "insolent", even with threats to fire upon them. Cook responded to
11136-494: The shop window. After 18 months, not proving suited for shop work, Cook travelled to the nearby port town of Whitby to be introduced to Sanderson's friends John and Henry Walker. The Walkers, who were Quakers , were prominent local ship-owners in the coal trade. Their house is now the Captain Cook Memorial Museum . Cook was taken on as a merchant navy apprentice in their small fleet of vessels, plying coal along
11252-519: The sinking of another, following which he was promoted to boatswain in addition to his other duties. His first temporary command was in March 1756 when he was briefly master of Cruizer , a small cutter attached to Eagle while on patrol. In June 1757, Cook formally passed his master 's examinations at Trinity House , Deptford , qualifying him to navigate and handle a ship of the King's fleet. He then joined
11368-447: The south end of Bligh Island . Relations between Cook's crew and the people of Yuquot were cordial but sometimes strained. In trading, the people of Yuquot demanded much more valuable items than the usual trinkets that had been acceptable in Hawaii. Metal objects were much desired, but the lead, pewter, and tin traded at first soon fell into disrepute. The most valuable items which the British received in trade were sea otter pelts. During
11484-444: The station are considered to be some of the most intact shore stations in New Zealand. In 1910, twenty stone hearths had been found. Kapiti Island is a predator-free nature reserve and access is restricted. Visitors must have a permit to land on the island, and this is usually arranged via tourism operators. Access to Rangatira, a location half-way along the eastern shore is limited to a maximum of 100 visitors per day, and access to
11600-652: The stay, the Yuquot "hosts" essentially controlled the trade with the British vessels; the natives usually visited the British vessels at Resolution Cove instead of the British visiting the village of Yuquot at Friendly Cove. After leaving Nootka Sound in search of the Northwest Passage, Cook explored and mapped the coast all the way to the Bering Strait , on the way identifying what came to be known as Cook Inlet in Alaska. In
11716-513: The theft by attempting to kidnap and ransom the King of Hawaiʻi , Kalaniʻōpuʻu . The following day, 14 February 1779, Cook marched through the village to retrieve the king. Cook took the king (aliʻi nui) by his own hand and led him away. One of Kalaniʻōpuʻu's favourite wives, Kanekapolei , and two chiefs approached the group as they were heading to the boats. They pleaded with the king not to go. An old kahuna (priest), chanting rapidly while holding out
11832-420: The time of his Endeavour voyage. For leisure, he would climb a nearby hill, Roseberry Topping , enjoying the opportunity for solitude. In 1745, when he was 16, Cook moved 20 miles (32 km) to the fishing village of Staithes , to be apprenticed as a shop boy to grocer and haberdasher William Sanderson. Historians have speculated that this is where Cook first felt the lure of the sea while gazing out of
11948-497: The time, they prepared his body with funerary rituals usually reserved for the chiefs and highest elders of the society. The body was disembowelled and baked to facilitate removal of the flesh , and the bones were carefully cleaned for preservation as religious icons in a fashion somewhat reminiscent of the treatment of European saints in the Middle Ages . Some of Cook's remains, thus preserved, were eventually returned to his crew for
12064-655: The time. He tested several preventive measures, most importantly the frequent replenishment of fresh food. For presenting a paper on this aspect of the voyage to the Royal Society he was presented with the Copley Medal in 1776. Cook became the first European to have extensive contact with various people of the Pacific. He correctly postulated a link among all the Pacific peoples, despite their being separated by great ocean stretches (see Malayo-Polynesian languages ) . Cook theorised that Polynesians originated from Asia, which scientist Bryan Sykes later verified. In New Zealand
12180-497: The translocation was unsuccessful. As of 1969 , bats have only been observed in the eastern side of the island. In February 1969 an attempt was made to locate the long-tailed bat colony. For four nights, mist nets were placed in the Te Rere burial caves, and hollow trees were examined along with more burial caves. These efforts went unsuccessful, and the colony was not found, despite sightings of bats in this time period. Invertebrates on
12296-518: The voyage. The Australian Museum acquired its "Cook Collection" in 1894 from the Government of New South Wales . At that time the collection consisted of 115 artefacts collected on Cook's three voyages throughout the Pacific Ocean, during the period 1768–1780, along with documents and memorabilia related to these voyages. Many of the ethnographic artefacts were collected at a time of first contact between Pacific Peoples and Europeans. In 1935 most of
12412-438: The west of Kapiti Island, and is known for its pāua and rock lobsters . Other marine life around Kapiti Island includes the common dolphin , New Zealand fur seal , orca , and the eagle ray . There is a weather station at Rangatira Bay that measures rainfall, wet and dry-bulb temperatures , wind speed and direction, cloud cover, and visibility. On average, the island experiences 1,064 mm of annual rainfall. February
12528-528: Was badly damaged, and his voyage was delayed almost seven weeks while repairs were carried out on the beach (near the docks of modern Cooktown, Queensland , at the mouth of the Endeavour River ). The crew's encounters with the local Aboriginal people were mostly peaceful, although following a dispute over green turtles Cook ordered shots to be fired and one local was lightly wounded. The voyage then continued and at about midday on 22 August 1770, they reached
12644-412: Was communicated to the Royal Society in 1767. His five seasons in Newfoundland produced the first large-scale and accurate maps of the island's coasts and were the first scientific, large-scale, hydrographic surveys to use precise triangulation to establish land outlines. They also gave Cook his mastery of practical surveying, achieved under often adverse conditions, and brought him to the attention of
12760-484: Was filmed partly on Kapiti Island. The island was used as a filming location alongside other parts of the Kāpiti Coast in a film called Poppy (2021), about a girl with Down syndrome . James Cook Captain James Cook FRS (7 November [ O.S. 27 October] 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, cartographer and naval officer famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in
12876-418: Was first suggested by members of Cook's expedition, the idea that any Hawaiians understood Cook to be Lono, and the evidence presented in support of it, was challenged in 1992 by Gananath Obeyesekere in the so-called Sahlins–Obeyesekere debate . After a month's stay, Cook attempted to resume his exploration of the northern Pacific. Shortly after leaving Hawaii Island, Resolution ' s foremast broke, so
12992-554: Was given command of HMS Bounty in 1787 to sail to Tahiti and return with breadfruit . Bligh became known for the mutiny of his crew , which resulted in his being set adrift in 1789. He later became Governor of New South Wales , where he was the subject of another mutiny—the 1808 Rum Rebellion . George Vancouver , one of Cook's midshipmen , led a voyage of exploration to the Pacific Coast of North America from 1791 to 1794. In honour of Vancouver's former commander, his ship
13108-399: Was given to his son Tautoki and his ancestors, who became Rangitāne iwi , and from the southern tip south was given to his son Tara and ancestors (Ngāi Tara, now known as Muaūpoko ). The traditional name for the island refers to this division between Ngāi Tara and Rangitāne. The island was surveyed in 1770 during the first voyage of James Cook . In the early 1800s, the island was in
13224-435: Was melted from the blubber and shipped to America for use in machinery before petroleum was used. Five whaling stations were established on Kapiti, with three additional stations on the offshore islets of Tokomapuna, Motungarara and Tahoramaurea to the south-east. The whaling station on Waiorua Bay was surrounded by a "rough township". After the collapse of the whaling industry in the 1840s, whalers and their families left
13340-601: Was named Discovery . George Dixon , who sailed under Cook on his third expedition, later commanded his own. Cook's contributions to knowledge gained international recognition during his lifetime. In 1779, while the American colonies were fighting Britain for their independence , Benjamin Franklin wrote to captains of colonial warships at sea, recommending that if they came into contact with Cook's vessel, they were to "not consider her an enemy, nor suffer any plunder to be made of
13456-565: Was transferred to the Australian Museum. Cook's 12 years sailing around the Pacific Ocean contributed much to Europeans' knowledge of the area. Several islands, such as the Hawaiian group, were encountered for the first time by Europeans, and his more accurate navigational charting of large areas of the Pacific was a major achievement. To create accurate maps, latitude and longitude must be accurately determined. Navigators had been able to work out latitude accurately for centuries by measuring
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