Exploration

Events In History

10 November 1880

Sutherland Falls 'discovered'

The renowned backwoodsman Sutherland 'discovered' the waterfall that bears his name near what is now the Milford Track – New Zealand’s best-known walking track. Read more...
12 March 1864

Arthur's Pass 'discovered'

Arthur, George and Edward Dobson were searching for a route between Canterbury and the West Coast that the chief Tarapuhi had told them about. Read more...
8 January 1863

Haast begins West Coast expedition

Julius von Haast's exploration of the West Coast revealed the extent of the Grey River coalfields and found traces of gold in rivers. The Haast Pass and Haast River are named after him. Read more...
10 August 1840

British assert sovereignty as French head for Akaroa

HMS Britomart arrived at Akaroa, on Banks Peninsula, a week before a shipload of French colonists landed. The ship's captain raised the Union Jack to confirm British sovereignty over the area. Read more...
28 January 1827

D'Urville sails through French Pass

In a feat of great navigational daring - and after several attempts - the French explorer Dumont d'Urville sailed the Astrolabe through French Pass into Admiralty Bay in the Marlborough Sounds. Read more...
15 November 1769

British flag flies for first time in NZ

By raising the British Colours on Coromandel Peninsula, Cook claimed the area in the name of King George III. Read more...
9 November 1769

Captain Cook observes transit of Mercury

Captain Cook's astronomer Charles Green observed the transit of Mercury at Te Whanganui-o-Hei (Mercury Bay) on Coromandel Peninsula. Read more...
6 October 1769

Young Nick sights land

Ship's boy Nicholas Young received a gallon of rum and had Young Nicks Head named in his honour for being the first aboard the Endeavour to spot land. Read more...
18 December 1642

First contact between Māori and Europeans

On the evening of 18 December Abel Tasman and his men had the first known European encounter with Māori. Misunderstanding and fear led to violence next day. Read more...
13 December 1642

First recorded European sighting of New Zealand

Towards noon the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sighted 'a large land, uplifted high', possibly the peaks of the Paparoa Range behind Punakaiki. Read more...

Articles

Early explorers

The romance and sheer challenge of getting to New Zealand have made the Polynesian discovery and European rediscovery of these islands popular topics of study.
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Page 2 – Polynesian explorers
The origins of Maori have been debated since Westerners first entered the Pacific Ocean. During his explorations of Polynesia, Cook and his scientists noted the similarities
Page 3 – European explorers
Spanish and the Portuguese had an active presence in the Pacific from the early 16th century, but there is no firm evidence of Europeans reaching New Zealand before Abel Tasman
Page 4 – Further information
Recommended links for information about early explorers to New Zealand

Exploring New Zealand's interior

After charting the coastline, European surveying and exploration of the interior were a fundamental part of the settlement process, defining the boundaries of ownership and identifying resources, useable land and access routes.
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Page 1 - Exploring New Zealand's interior After charting the coastline, European surveying and exploration of the interior were a fundamental part of the settlement process, defining the boundaries of ownership and

Biographies

Heaphy, Charles
The multi-faceted Charles Heaphy made quite an impact on colonial New Zealand as an artist, explorer, soldier and colonial administrator. He was the first colonial soldier to win the Victoria Cross.
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Brunner, Thomas
Thomas Brunner’s exploits in the north and west of the South Island between 1846 and 1848 were the greatest single piece of overland exploration in New Zealand's European history.
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