MAORI MEMORIES
CAPTAIN COOK’S FIRST VISIT. (Recorded by o£ Palmerston North, for the “Times-Age.”) Since Tasman’s brief visit, four gen- . erations passed before Cook came. , Turanga (standing place) on the Ease Coast of the North Island in the year . 1769 was where he landed. His mission to the then unknown southern half of the world was to view the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. From this fertile district which he unjustly named “Poverty Bay," he visited and named the River Thames, then rounded Cape Maria van Diemen, and not knowing its Maori name, Taranaki, re-christened our symmetrical mountain “Egmont.” He touched at Queen Charlot te's Sound, Hawke s Bay, then discovered the twenty-mile wide strait which now bears his name. On land and sea he had much intercourse with the Maoris by whom he was thought to be a god. Wc must pardon the Maoris for their failings because of our own people’s acts ol violence created by fear. Even Cook on , several occasions unjustly suspected ( |.them of evil intent, while they almost invariably had confidence in him. Without, comparing the present degeneracy with their past, these "sav-. ages” on several occasions acted like civilised men, and “Christians lil-V savages. Not one of Captain Cook’s men was killed or wounded by the Maoris, whilst they mourned the lostof ton killed and many wounded during that visit. Even the Maoris commented with scorn and satire upon the British Parliament's report of Cook's visit, when it: was translated to them that “possession" was taken of the country and King George the Third was “appointed" to rule over its people.
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 March 1941, Page 2
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271MAORI MEMORIES Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 March 1941, Page 2
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