OFF WHAKATANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 85, 8 November 1939, Page 6

OFF WHAKATANE

CAPTAIN COOK'S DIARY ON

FIRST VOYAGE-

OBSERVATIONS ON MAORIS

From the following extracts taken from the diary of Sir Joseph Banks Bt. K.B. P.U.S., who sailed with Captain Cook on his lirst world voyage, and from Captain Cook's own recorded observations, we find that the Bay of Plenty of one hundred and seventy years ago was well populated with Maoris. Particularly did ihi.s apply to the country surrounding Whakatane, where many villages existed, and this drew the observation, in the Avords of Sir Joseph Banks, "From all these circumstances Ave judged the country to be much better peopled hereabouts, and inhabited by richer people than aac had before seen; maybe it Avas the residence of some of their Princes.'

The diaries have not been corrected and read as Ihcv ivcre -written. The Old-World English, with the habit of spelling words with capitals. and ending some of them Avith double consonants, has an appeal, and makes more interesting the intriguing story of the discovery of that part of New Zealand Avhich is now the connry of Whakatane. JOURNAL Of The Right Hon. SIR JOSEPH BANKS Bart. K.B. P.U.S. Ist November. Just at nightfall we Avere under a small Island, from whence came off a large double canoe, or rather two canoes lashed together at a. distance of about a foot, and covercd Avith boards so :is to make a kind of deck. She came pretty near the ship and the people in her talked Avith Tupia with much seeming friendship: but -when it Avas jusl dark they ran the canoe close to the ship and threAV in three or four stones, after Avhich they paddled ashore. 2nd November. Passes this morning betAveen :in island and the main, Avhich appeared low and sandy, aa*i th a remarkable hill inland: flat and smooth as a molehill, though A r ery high and large. Many canoes and people AA'ere seen along shore. Some followed us, but could not overtake us. A sailing canoe that had chased ns cA'er since daybreak then came up with us, and proved the same double canoe Avhich had pelted us

last night, so thai we prepared for another volley of their ammunition, dangerous to nolhing on hoard hut our windows. The event proved as we expected, for after having sailed ivitli lis an hour they threw their stones again. A musket was fired over them and they dropped astern, not, I believe a! all frightened by the musket, but content with having showed their courage by twice insulting us. Wc now begin to know * these people, and are much less afraid of any darin:g attempt from Ihem than wc were. Whakatane in 1769. The country appeared low, with small cliffs near the shore. but seemingly very fertile inland: we saw plainly with our glasses villages larger than any we had. before seen, situated on the tops of clifl's in places almost inaccessible, besides whirl' they were guarded by a deep fosse, ;md a high paling within it, so [hat probably these people are much given to war. In the evening many towns were in sighL, larger than those seen at noon, and always situated like them 011 the tops of cliffs and fenced in the same manner: under them, upon the beach, were many wry larii" canocs, some hundreds I may ?-n!Vly say-, some of which either had or appeared to have awnings, hut not one of them put off. From all these circumstances we judged t heron ri try to be much belter peopled hereabouts, and inhabited by richer people than we had before seen: maybe it was the. residence of some of their princes. As far as wc have yet gone along the coast from Cape Turnagain to this place, the'people have acknowledged only one chief, Teratu. If his domination is really so large, lie maj" have princes or under him capable of drawing together a vast number of people, for he himself is always said to live far inland. CAPTAIN COOK'S DIARY Wednesday, Ist November,! —p.m.-. As avc stood along shore (having little wind, and variable), we saw a great deal of cultivated land laid out In regular inclosures, a sur-" 1 s'gn that the country is both fee-

tile and Avell inhabited. Some Canoes came off from the shore, but would not come near the Ship. At 8 brought to 15 miles from the shore, the land seen yesterday bearing W.,

and which Ave now saw was an island, bore S.W. (this should caidently be N.W.) distant 8 leagues, T have named it White Island because as such it always appear'd to us. At 5 a.m. made sail alongshore to the S.W., luiA'ing little Avind at E.S.F.. and cloudy Avcather. At 8 saw between 10 and .">() Canoes in shore. ScA*erali of them came off to the ship, and being about us some time they A'entur'd alongside and sold us sonic lobsters, muscles, and two Congo Eaies. After these Avere gone some others came off from another place AA'ith muscles only, and but few of those they thought proper to part Avith, thinking they had a right to eA'crything avc handed them into their Canoes without making any return. At last the people in one Canoe took away some linnen that Avas toAving oA*er the side, Avhieh they Avould not return for all that Ave could say to

them. Upon this I fir'd a Muskel Ball thro' the Canoe, and after another Musket load Avith Small Shot l neither of Avhich they minded, only pulled off a little, and then shool< their paddles at us, at T'hich 1

fir'd a third musquet: and the ball, striking the Avater pretty nt a>- them they immediately apply'd their paddles to another use; but aftei Vhey thought themselves out of leach they got altogether, and shook thtir paddles again at us. T then gave the ship a yaw, and fir'd a four pounder. This sent them quite off.

and we kept on our course along shore, having a ligbt breeze at E.S.E. At noon wc Avere in the latitude of .">7O White Island bearing X. 290 W., distant S Leagues. Whale Island and Mt. Edgecumbe Thursday, 2nd. Gentle breezes from N.W. round Northerly to E.S.E. and fair Aveather. At 2 p.m. saw a-pretty high island bearing W from us, and at 5 saAV more islands and rocks to the Avestward of it. Hauld our Avind in order to go without them, but. finding that Ave could not Aveather them before dark, bore up. and run between them and the main. At 7 Avas close under the first island,, from whence a large double Canoe full of people came off to us. This Avas the first double canoe Ave had seen in this country. They staid about the ship until it Avas dark, then left us, but not before they had thrown a few stones. They iold us the name of the island, which was Mowtoliora (Whale Island) . It is but of a small circuit, but high, and lies (> miles from the Main. Under the S. side is anchorage in 14 fathoms, S.W. by S. from , this island on the Main land, seem- , ingly at no great distance from the i

sea, is a high round mountain

which I have named Mount EdgeIcumbe. It stands in the middle of a large Plain, which, makes it the more conspicuous. Latitude 870 ">9/., Longitude 18tfo 07' W. In standing to the westward we Shoald •d our water from 17 to 10 fathoms, ;ind knowing that we were not far from some small islands and rocks that we had seen before darkafter passing of which I intended to have brought too for the night, but ! now thought it more prudent *"o tack, and spend the night under the Island of Mowtohora, Avhcre J knew there was no danger. Sight of Maori Pahs. And it was-well we did for in the morning, after we had made sail 'o the Westward, we discovered •r.elcs (Rurima) ahead of us level vith and under the water. They 'ay I'j Leagues from the Tsland

■Mowlohora, and about !? miles from

tin- Main, and N.N.K. from Mount Fdgecumbe. We passed between 'hese rocks and the Main, having ■rom 7 to 10 fathoms. The double en noes which we saw last night '"oilow'd us to-day under sail and

:<eept abreast of the Ship near an lu;iir talking lo Tupia, ]>ut at last they began to pelt us with Stones. But upon firing one Musquet they dropt astern and left us. At half past ten passed between a low flat island on the Main, the distance 'rom one to the oilier being 4 miles; depth of water 10, 12 and 1.1 fathoms. At noon the flat island (Motunau) bore from N.E. to E. y 2 N., listance 5 or (j miles; latitude in ler observation ; J .70 S., Longiurc ISHo IHVW. The Main land beween this and the Island of Mowohoro, which is 10 Leagues is of 1 nr>derate height, and all / r>vs>l. 'r<( country, puffy clear of w kv' 1 'id fuU of plantations and \-J v j These vU'lpgrs a"o hu'lt u" j Continued 'it i"n ?{ of o*xz cn'

in Eminences Near the Sea. and are fortified on the land side with a bank and a ditch, and pallisaded all round. Upsides this, some oi' ■hem appear'd to have out-works. Wc have before now observed, on

several parts of the coast, smai! villiages inclosed with pallisude.3 and works of this kind build on Eminences and Ridges of hills but Tupia had ull along told us £li(a,* f hey were Mories, or places of worship: but I rather think they are ulaces of retreat or strong hold where they defend themselves ngainst the attack of an enemy, :>s ;ome of them seem'd not ill defor thai purpose. (In tho •on tests with the Maoris in after " a s, theso pahs\ or forts, proved > be? no d 'soic a. r J-c d *fcnc;s).