Turanganui a Kiwa, Landfall: James Cook's first landing in New Zealand, 1769
New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
1994
24 pages.

This publication is an extensively revised version of a booklet published in 1969 to mark the bicentennial of Cook's landing in New Zealand. It focuses on the period between the 9th and the 29th of October 1769 which Cook spent in the East Cape area, from his landing at the mouth of the Turanganui River (modern-day Gisborne) to his departure from Cape Runaway. The events are related using extracts from the journals of Cook and Banks with additional material from Gore, Monkhouse, Parkinson and Wilkinson.

Included is an interesting article written in 1888 by the missionary William Williams describing Cook's visit to Poverty Bay. It examines the visit from both sides and is accompanied by a map of the mouth of the Turanganui River with the sites of the various events marked. The publication of this article resulted in land being set aside for the current Cook Landing memorial.

Other articles cover the nature of the area in 1769, the Admiralty instructions, Cook's biography and the circumnavigation of New Zealand. The booklet also features a high altitude photo of Poverty Bay looking towards East Cape accompanied by a key showing a number of the places mentioned by Cook, and his chart of the East Cape area.

The booklet is well produced and should appeal both to Cookophiles and others, such as tourists, who want to find out more about Cook.

Norman Wansbrough

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1136, volume 18, number 2 (1995).