Events In History
-
28 January 1827D'Urville sails through French PassIn 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...
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.
- Page 3 - European explorersSpanish 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 in
Container shipping
Forty-five years ago, on 19 June 1971, the first all-container ship to visit New Zealand arrived in Wellington. Columbus New Zealand was part of a worldwide revolution in shipping. These simple steel boxes would change our transport industry, our ports and how we work and shop.
- Page 7 - The wreck of the Rena On 5 October 2011 the MSC-chartered, Liberian-flagged container ship Rena astonished local mariners by grounding on the clearly marked Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga. Three months
-
Main image: Haka on board the Astrolabe, 1827
Sainson's depiction of Maori performing dance on board Astrolabe at Tolaga Bay, 1827