Meretoto - Captain Cook's Ship Cove

Captain James Cook spent a total of 328 days exploring the New Zealand coastline during his three voyages. The initial purpose of Cook's voyages was to observe the Transit of Venus in Tahiti and then search for a great southern continent which was believed to exist - Terra Australis. Cook was to return to Meretoto, which he named Ship Cove,  in Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound, on five separate occasions. He spent over 100 days there, as it provided safe anchorage, food and fresh water and timber for repairs to his ship.¹

Captain James Cook, Alexander Turnbull Library, ref A-217-010. Permission of ATL must be sought for further use of this image
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Cook's First Voyage involved a six month long circumnavigation of Aotearoa/New Zealand. His ship, the Endeavour, sailed into Ship Cove on 16 January, 1770. He described it as a "very snug cove" and recorded that: "The number of Inhabitants hardly exceeds 3 or 400 people, they leive (sic) dispers'd along the Shores in search of their daly (sic) bread, which is fish and firn (sic) roots for they cultivate no part of the lands"  (Journals of Captain Cook, 6 February, 1770).²

Cook's Second Voyage involved two ships, the Resolution, commanded by Cook, and the Adventure commanded by Lieutenant Tobias Furneaux. They left from Plymouth in England on 13 July 1772 and met at Meretoto/Ship Cove in May 1773 but lost contact with each other after they left Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound and later both visited the Marlborough Sounds area separately.³

Cook later learned that ten men from the Adventure had been attacked and killed at Wharehunga Bay, Arapawa Island. While it was expected that Cook would seek revenge for the killings on his return (third) voyage, he did not, and acted with commonsense and restraint.

Attempts were made by the Europeans to introduce various animals. Furneaux liberated a boar, and a sow and a pair of goats were released on Arapawa Island. Rats, chickens and more pigs were also introduced to New Zealand by Cook's ships. Cook put a ewe and a ram ashore at Meretoto/Ship Cove and was disappointed with his failure to introduce sheep: "Last Night the Ewe and Ram I had with so much care and trouble brought to this place, died, we did suppose that they were poisoned by eating of some poisonous plant, thus all my fine hopes of stocking this Country with a breed of Sheep were blasted in a moment" (Journals of Captain Cook, 23 May 1773).⁴  

The Europeans left potatoes, and turnips as well as other vegetables. They also brought serious diseases to Māori, including tuberculosis, and venereal diseases.

Webber, John (1751-93). View in Queen Charlotte's Sound. London : Boydell, 1809 (oils from a sketch made on Cook's Third Voyage). Alexander Turnbull Library. B-098-015
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During this Second Voyage, Cook recorded that some Māori families were living near their ships and supplying them with fish. He acknowledged that their fishing methods and expertise were superior to those of his own countrymen. Cook left the Marlborough Sounds on 7 June 1773, but he returned to Meretoto/ Ship Cove again in November, leaving on 25th November, to return in October 1774, still on his Second Voyage.⁵

Cook's Third Voyage commanding the Resolution and accompanied by the Discovery, included a stay at Meretoto/Ship Cove "in our old station" in February 1777 to refresh and refit the ships. Captain Cook was 47 years old and clearly weary with the demanding and dangerous voyages and dealing with the various peoples of the Pacific. He began to behave less tolerantly and on 14th February 1779, over-reacted to a theft in Hawaii, which resulted in a fight in which Cook was killed.⁶

During his three voyages to New Zealand, James Cook mapped the outline of the country with considerable accuracy. His observations of Māori culture, and natural history, combined with the observations recorded by his men provide a rich source of information and his comments on the abundance of whales, seals, timber, and flax encouraged British interest.

This story is an edited version of an article written by Steve Austin, Chief Executive of the Marlborough Museum and published in Wild Tomato, 2008, and includes additional material from The Captain Cook Encyclopedia. Updated December 2020

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