Captain James Cook in New Zealand

Some years ago I read a National Geographic book, with excellent maps (as is usual with NG) about Captain Cook's epic voyages of discovery; I was in Australia in December 2005, and bought R Hough's comprehensive biography of Cook, wich I read with great interest. I decided that if ever I went to New Zealand I would visit the place where he had his base -- Ship Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound. Recently my wish came true, for while I was in New Zealand, I took a boat trip from Picton, which called at Ship Cove. The spot is near the seaward end of the Sound, and is accessible only by boat or hiking. The weather was rainy and cold, not the best conditions for a cruise, but there were only three passengers, two English hikers and me, and we were able to shelter on the covered lower deck and chat with the skipper.

We landed at Ship Cove at a small jetty, and walked over to see the memorial, a massive pyramid of stone, topped by an anchor and bearing the simple legend COOK, and a heraldic device. The DOC (Dept of Conservation) have erected some historic information displays, and a Maori totem (or whatever they call them down there) carved from a reddish wood. There is a short shingle beach backed by dense forest from which flows a stream; the explorers thus had the necessities of life, and were able to careen the ship on the beach (ie beach it and scrape and clean the bottom). In that weather, the place seemed evocative of those lonely 18th century mariner-explorers, whose duty and fortitude brought them so far from home.





On the return journey, the skipper dropped off the hikers at Resulution Inlet -- they would be picked up at the next spot on the afternoon run. The boat stopped again to load another hiking party's baggage to take to Picton. These excursions on Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sounds, known as the "mail-boat runs", are a great way to see the more remote parts of Marlborough Sounds that labyrinth of waterways and islands. The Pelorus Sound boats are based at Havelock, a small boat harbour a few kilometres away.

Capt James Cook, officer, navigator and explorer.

I've just started reading a newer biography of Cook, by Vanessa Collingridge, which reveals more of this story: when I've got through it, I would like to follow it up on the parallel blog Runagates' Club.