Kōrero: European discovery of New Zealand

James Cook’s map of the South Island (1 o 3)

James Cook’s map of the South Island

On Cook’s chart the South Island is narrow-waisted because Cook did not realise how far east the Canterbury Plains extended. The Endeavour was often kept well offshore of the South Island by winds, and Cook found it difficult to determine his exact longitude because he did not have a chronometer on his first voyage. But the island is recognisable, and the main areas of mountainous country are recorded correctly. Cook’s name for the South Island, Toai Poonamoo, was his rendering of the traditional Māori name, Te Wai Pounamu.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: PUBL-0037-25

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

John Wilson, 'European discovery of New Zealand - Cook’s three voyages', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/map/1419/james-cooks-map-of-the-south-island (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā John Wilson, i tāngia i te 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 May 2016