Explorers

Events In History

10 November 1880

Sutherland Falls 'discovered'

The renowned backwoodsman Donald Sutherland 'discovered' the waterfall that bears his name near what is now the Milford Track – New Zealand’s best-known walking track. Read more...
11 February 1864

Charles Heaphy earns Victoria Cross

Recommended for a Victoria Cross after rescuing a soldier under fire at Waiari, near Pirongia, Charles Heaphy was given the decoration in 1867. Read more...
19 May 1846

Brunner, Kehu and Heaphy reach Māwhera pā

This journey was part of Thomas Brunner's epic 1846-48 exploration of the South Island. He was guided by Kehu of Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri and accompanied by Charles Heaphy, a draftsman and artist with the New Zealand Company. Read more...
17 December 1773

Ten crew from the Adventure killed

At Wharehunga Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, 10 men serving on the ship accompanying James Cook's Resolution died at the hands of Ngāti Kuia and Rangitāne. Read more...
4 May 1772

Marion du Fresne arrives in Bay of Islands

Marion du Fresne’s was the second French expedition to visit New Zealand, following that of Jean François Marie de Surville in 1769. Du Fresne’s acceptance of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s beliefs about ‘noble savages’ was to have unfortunate consequences for him and his crew. Read more...
24 March 1770

Kidnapped Ngāti Kahu chief Ranginui dies on French ship

Ranginui was a Ngāti Kahu chief from Doubtless Bay who was kidnapped by the French explorer Jean François Marie de Surville. Read more...
16 February 1770

Cook sights Banks 'Island'

Lieutenant James Cook sighted Banks Peninsula from the Endeavour. The following day he decided it was an island, which he named for the expedition's botanist, Joseph Banks. Read more...
9 February 1770

Cook completes circumnavigation of North Island

The Endeavour's arrival at Cape Turnagain confirmed that the North Island was indeed an island, not part of a fabled great southern continent. Read more...

Articles

Exploring New Zealand's interior

After charting the coastline, European surveying and exploration of the interior were a fundamental part of the settlement process, defining the boundaries of ownership and identifying resources, useable land and access routes.
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Page 1 - Exploring New Zealand's interior After charting the coastline, European surveying and exploration of the interior were a fundamental part of the settlement process, defining the boundaries of ownership and

Antarctica and New Zealand

NZ and Antarctica share a long and rich history. From Tuati in 1840 to Edmund Hillary in the 1950s and more recent scientists, Kiwis have explored, examined and endured the frozen continent.
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Page 2 – First among men
New Zealanders were involved in a number of significant Antarctic firsts - notably, the first landing on the continent proper in 1895 and the first overland crossing between

Early explorers

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Page 1 - Further informationRecommended links for information about early explorers to New

Biographies

Tasman, Abel Janszoon
The dutch explorer Abel Tasman is officially recognised as the first European to ‘discover’ New Zealand in 1642. His men were the first Europeans to have a confirmed encounter with Māori.
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Heaphy, Charles
The multi-faceted Charles Heaphy made quite an impact on colonial New Zealand as an artist, explorer, soldier and colonial administrator. He was the first colonial soldier to win the Victoria Cross.
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Cook, James
Captain James Cook, the first European to define the outline of New Zealand, has left a permanent imprint on the consciousness of New Zealanders.
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Marion du Fresne, Marc Joseph
The early French explorer's visit to New Zealand ended in his death, and the bloodshed of hundreds more in retribution.
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Brunner, Thomas
Thomas Brunner’s exploits in the north and west of the South Island between 1846 and 1848 were the greatest single piece of overland exploration in New Zealand's European history.
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