The site of the first landing by James Cook's crew in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa (now part of the port of Gisborne) was commemorated with the erection of a monument in 1906.
This reserve is surrounded by a garden of plants collected by Joseph Banks on this voyage. The memorial no longer has a sea view. This site is recognised as the landing place of the Horouta and Te Ikaroa-a-Rauru waka, which brought Māori to Aotearoa several centuries before European explorers arrived. When Cook landed on 8 October 1769 the district was occupied by the Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tahupō (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri), Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and Te Aitanga a Hauiti iwi. In 1990 the reserve was designated a National Reserve and placed under the guardianship of the Department of Conservation.
Alexander Turnbull Library,
Ref: F-70446-1/2
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image