NZ History

The official story is that the Spanish didn't reach New Zealand's shores before the Dutch, right? Well, kind of. In actual fact, there has been plenty of suggestion to this theory long before most Kiwi's would imagine. Here follows some excerpts from a 1949 publication of Joseph Angus Mackay (the good bits are often quotes of famous NZ historians - be warned, you may be shocked). All of these excerpts are licensed with a Creative Commons NZ license and are available ...Read more»

A tree in Spain sparked some debate about the possibility of Spanish having travelled New Zealand before Cook and rightly won a mention in The Spanish Helmet. The tree in question is a large pohutukawa that the locals believe to be 400-500 years old. That would fit in well with a discovery by Francisco de Hoces in 1526, don't you think? The original Landcare Research press release about the tree can be found here: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/news/release.asp?Ne_ID=33Since I don't trust NZ government agencies to adequately ...Read more»

The story told by Mike about the mysterious fisherman off the East Cape was published by Anne Salmond in her 1991 book 'Two Worlds' - Two Worlds, Anne Salmond, 1991, pg 63 Two Worlds is well and truly out of print. You sometimes find copies of it being offered online- Examples I have seen have been priced around $140 NZD, which is preposterous. Borrow it from your local library. With any luck, it might be available as more than 'snippet view' at ...Read more»

The Tongaporutu Rock Carvings (petroglyphs) were ancient Maori(?) rock carvings in caves on the Taranaki coast. Practically all have now been destroyed through a neglectful lack of preservation by the New Zealand authorities. Nice one! An article taken from TVNZ - Published: 6:33PM Thursday July 05, 2007 - Source: One News NOTE: Own emphasis added High seas wash away ancient carvings One of the last examples of ancient rock carvings on the northern Taranaki coast has been destroyed by heavy seas. The carvings have up until now ...Read more»

Some time prior to 1904, an iron helmet was dredged from the Wellington Harbour. The helmet is now housed at the Te Papa Museum in Wellington. Facts surrounding the helmet vary depending on the source. A summary of referenced facts and claims follows. Current Official Story Te Papa Museum Retrieved from Te Papa Museum website on 21st September 2010 Helmet dated to 1580 Found in Wellington Harbour prior to 1904 - actual date unknown Cited as evidence for pre-Tasman European contact It is a Close Helmet Possibly made ...Read more»

During Cook's voyages of exploration in New Zealand, the crew noted a wooden cross, adorned with feathers, in a Maori Pa (village). Such symbolism is akin to Christian tradition, not Maori, so where have they come from? This page discusses what is known and speculated about this cross. Other crosses have been mentioned in further texts, but I am yet to further investigate these claims, Excerpt from Captain Cooks Journal - 24th January 1770 - First Voyage In one part of this village ...Read more»

Samuel Wallis (23 April 1728 – London 21 January 1795) was a Cornish navigator who circumnavigated the world. Wallis was born near Camelford, Cornwall. In 1766 he was given the command of HMS Dolphin to circumnavigate the world, accompanied by the Swallow under the command of Philip Carteret. The two ships were parted shortly after sailing through the Strait of Magellan, Wallis continuing to Tahiti, which he named "King George the Third's Island" in honour of the King (June 1767). He ...Read more»

The Tamil Bell is a broken bronze bell discovered in approximately 1836 (quoted as 1839 in the Taranaki Herald) by the missionary William Colenso. It was being used as a pot to boil potatoes by Māori women near Whangarei in the Northland Region of New Zealand. The bell is 13 cm long and 9 cm deep, and has an inscription. The inscription running around the rim of the bell has been identified as old Tamil. Translated it says "Muhayideen Baksh’s ship’s ...Read more»

Various theories suggest that ships had visited New Zealand prior to the first officially recognised European visit of Abel Tasman in December 1642. While some of these theories are nothing more than mere speculation, there is also some recorded oral histories of the Maori that deserve further investigation.Told to Cook by Tairooa - Feb 1777He said the Captain during his Stay kept a Woman of the Country and she had a son by him which was about the age of ...Read more»

In 1526, six ships set out from Spain on a journey to the Moluccas (Spice Islands). After a series of unfortunate events in the South American regions, they were all eventually sank or dispersed alone and left to attempt to reach Spain. Few survived and made it, many died, and what happened to the rest of them is a mystery. But some suggest that one of the ships made it as far as New Zealand. The Ships and their Fate A fleet of ...Read more»