Story: Visitors’ opinions about New Zealand

Flax collected on Cook's first voyage, 1769

Flax collected on Cook's first voyage, 1769

British explorer James Cook was keen to discover the possible commercial value of New Zealand's flora and fauna, and to aid in this task he brought with him two naturalists, Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander. They collected this specimen of Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax), which they quickly realised might be valuable for making rope.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Reference: SP063873

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'Visitors’ opinions about New Zealand - Early visitors, 1769–1860', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/object/37091/flax-collected-on-cooks-first-voyage-1769 (accessed 29 April 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 20 Jun 2012