James Cook - A Journal of the proceedings of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour on a voyage round the world, by Lieutenant James Cook, Commander, commencing the 25th of May 1768 - 23 Oct. 1770: No. 225

New Zealand

Resolves upon standg. to the Westward, in search of N. Holland [in margin]
both difficult & Fatiguing. I saw no inhabitants neither have we seen any since we have been in this bay but met with several of their Huts all of which appeared to have been at least 12 Month deserted. upon my return to the Ship in the Evening I found the Water &ct. all onbd. & the Ship ready for Sea & being now resolv'd to quit this Country altogether & to bend my thoughts towards returning home by such a rout as might Conduce most to the Advantage of the Service I am upon, I consulted with the Officers upon the most Eligible way of put this in Execution. to return by the way of Cape Horn was what I most wished, because by this rout we should have been able to prove the Existance or nonExistance of a Southern Continent which yet remains Doubtfull, but in order to Ascertain this we must have kept in a higher Latitude in the very Depth of Winter, but the Condition of the Ship in every respect was not thought sufficient for such an undertakg. for the same reason the thoughts of proceeding directly to the Cape of Good Hope was laid aside especially as no discovery of any Moment could be hoped for in that rout. it was therefore resolved to return by way of the Et. Indies by the following rout upon Leaving this Coast to steer to the Westwd. until we fall in with the Et. Coast of New Holland & then to follow the direction of that Coast to the Northwd. or what other direction it might take until we arrived at its Northern extremity & if this should be found unpracticable then then to Endeavour to fall in with the Land or Islands discover'd by Quiros. with this view at daylight we got under Sail & put to Sea having the Advantage of a fresh Gale at SE Clear wear. 
at Noon the Island which lies off the NW point of the Bay bore E9S distance 10 Miles our Latitude by Observn. was 40:35S. this bay I have named Admiralty Bay the NW point Cape Stephens & the SE Point Jackson after the 2 Secratarys. it may always be known by the Island abovemention'd which is pretty high & lies NE 2 Miles from Cape Stephens Latde. 40:37S Longde. 185:6W. between this Island & Cape Farewell which is WbN & EbS distt. 14 or 15 Leags. from each other the Shore forms a large deep Bay the bottom of which we could hardly see in sailing in a Strait line from the one Cape to the other, but it is not att all improbable but what it is all low land next the Sea as we have met with less water here than on any other part of the Coast at the same distt. from land, however a Bay there is & is known in the Chart by the Name of Blind Bay 
Before I quit this land all together I shall give a short & general description of the Country its inhabitants their manners Customs &ct. in which it is necessary to observe that many things are founded only on Conjector for we were too short a time in any one Place to learn much of their