Dutch explorer Abel Tasman made the first recorded European sighting of Aotearoa New Zealand, seeing high land (often identified with the South Island’s west coast ranges).
Tasman’s ships (Heemskerck and Zeehaen) rounded Farewell Spit and anchored in what is now Golden Bay/Mohua, setting the stage for first recorded Māori–European contact.
In a confrontation in Golden Bay/Mohua, four Dutch sailors were killed after a small boat was attacked. Tasman departed and named the area “Moordenaers’ Bay” (Murderers’ Bay).
On his first Pacific voyage, James Cook’s expedition (HMB Endeavour) sighted New Zealand, beginning the next recorded phase of Māori–European contact after Tasman’s 1642 visit.
Endeavour anchored at Poverty Bay near present-day Gisborne; initial encounters were tense and included fatal violence, but subsequent interactions elsewhere became more cooperative (aided by Tupaia’s communication).
Cook and astronomer Charles Green observed the transit of Mercury at Te Whanganui-o-Hei (Mercury Bay), a key scientific objective connected to refining measurements of the solar system.
Cook raised British colours at Mercury Bay and claimed the area in the name of King George III—an assertion of imperial intent that later informed British approaches to New Zealand.
Cook brought Endeavour to Ship Cove (Meretoto) in Queen Charlotte Sound, using it as a major repair and resupply base during the coastal survey.
At Cape Turnagain, Cook’s track confirmed the North Island was not part of the hypothesized southern continent; the voyage also helped establish that New Zealand comprised two main islands separated by a strait.
After about six months surveying and charting, Cook left New Zealand from the northern tip of the South Island (near Cape Farewell), sailing west toward Australia.
On Cook’s second voyage, HMS Resolution reached Queen Charlotte Sound and rejoined HMS Adventure at the prearranged rendezvous, reinforcing Ship Cove as a strategic base for British Pacific exploration.
During the second voyage, Cook’s Resolution returned to Ship Cove expecting to find Adventure but did not; Cook later left a message there to coordinate plans if the ships remained separated.
Ten men from HMS Adventure were killed at Wharehunga Bay (near “Grass Cove”) in Queen Charlotte Sound, an event that intensified European anxieties and shaped later security measures during visits.
On Cook’s third voyage, Resolution (with Discovery) reached Queen Charlotte Sound again to take on supplies; Cook maintained stricter security than on earlier visits in light of prior violence in the region.
Early European contact in New Zealand (Abel Tasman to James Cook, 1642–1779)
