Story: When was New Zealand first settled?
Captain James Cook’s artist John Webber drew this image of a settlement on the island of Motuara, in the Marlborough Sounds. It shows a pā (or ‘hippah’) with houses constructed of reeds. It is generally accepted that by the time Webber made his sketches in the 1770s, Polynesians had been settled in New Zealand for around 400 years. They developed the distinctive culture known as Māori.
About this item
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: B-098-023
Hand-coloured lithograph by John Webber
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.