Moehanga (Ngāpuhi) became the first recorded Māori visitor to England when the Ferret berthed in London. Moehanga (sometimes referred to as Te Mahanga) had boarded the Ferret when it visited the Bay of Islands late in 1805.
While Māori had travelled as far as Tahiti and Australia in the late 18th century, Moehanga was the first to make it to the other side of the globe. While in England he claimed to have met King George III and Queen Charlotte.
He sailed with the Ferret when it left for Port Jackson (Sydney) in June. After spending the summer in Port Jackson he returned to his home in the Bay of Islands in March 1807.
Image – East India Dock, London, 1806 (British Library)
Read more on NZHistory
External links
- Maori overseas - 18th- and 19th-century travellers (Te Ara)
- Maori and the royal family (Te Ara)
- Moko; or Maori Tattooing: Mokoed Europeans and Mokoed Visitors to Europe (NZETC)
- Some account of New Zealand (ENZB)
- Māori visit overseas cities (Te Ara)
How to cite this page
'Moehanga becomes first Māori to visit England', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/moehanga-becomes-first-maori-visit-england, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 23-Feb-2016
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