In Cook’s FOOTSTEPS

FROM OCTOBER to December this year, a flotilla will visit locations associated with the visit of Captain Cook to New Zealand between 1769 and 1772. The Tuia 250 commemoration is a series of events designed to acknowledge the first onshore meetings between Māori and European cultures. Unlike the Anglo-centric bi-centenary of Cook’s visit, the 250th anniversary aims to be more inclusive and include stories from both European and Māori perspectives.

Cook sailed at a time of European progress, when Spain’s domination of colonies in the Americas had amassed magnificent wealth. The possibility of Great Britain discovering the huge unknown southern continent terra australis incognita had promising implications for