First encounters - the Russians in Te Tau Ihu

On 8 June 1820 (29 May in the Russian calendar), Russian captain Fabian Gottlieb Benjamin von Bellingshausen (in Russian: Фаддей Фаддеевич Беллинсгаузен; Faddey Faddeyevich Bellinsgauzen) entered Queen Charlotte Sound in the ships Vostớk and Mirnyy.  He was in command of the second Russian expedition to circumnavigate the globe.  During this expedition Bellingshausen became the first person to see the continent of Antarctica. 

The Russians had no plans of claiming lands or bringing harm to the indigenous peoples. Their purpose was scientific, with only good intentions to trade and collect taonga (treasures) from different cultures. Relations between the Maori and the Russian visitors remained good throughout the visit.

Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. 19th Century portrait
Click image to enlarge

A commemorative coin of the Bank of Russia, dedicated to the first Russian Expedition.
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They had no interpreter with them, but had the records of Captain James Cook’s explorations, also a copy of Cook’s Māori word list.  The ships were welcomed and escorted in by a fleet of Māori canoes.

Bellingshausen and his company made detailed descriptions of local people and customs, and traded for a considerable collection of Māori artefacts which are now in Russian museums.  In return, the Māori residents supplied the ships with fresh fish.  They also explored about 21 km up the Sound (roughly just past Dieffenbach Point). The astronomer, Ivan M. Simonov, kept a journal which described in great detail everything he observed.  There is also an account written by Midshipman P.M. Novosil’sky, and drawings made by artist Pavel N. Mikhaylov, now in the State Russian Museum.

An excellent account of the visit and its importance in providing information about Māori life of the time, both pictorial and documentary, can be found in Hilary & John Mitchell's book, Te Tau ihu o te waka, vol. 1, pp. 200-207.

This article was originally written for the Picton Seaport News, 2010. Updated May 2020

Story by: Loreen Brehaut

Picton Historical Society