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. 161

New Zealand
1769
November

high Island lying 4 Miles from a high round head on the Main, from this head the land Trends NW as far as we could see & appear'd to be very ragged & hilly. The weather being very heavy & the Wind blowing fresh on shore we hauled off Close upon a wind for the weather closes & Land in sight is [indec. insertion] bore from us NNE. dist. 6 or 7 Leags. under this Island we spent the Night having a fresh gale at NE & NEbE & hazy weather with rain, this Island I have called the Mayor.
At 7 AM it bore S. 47E dist. 6 Leag & a Cluster of small Islands & Rocks bore N½E dist. one League all the time had a gentle breeze at ENE & clear wea. The Cluster of Islands & Rocks just mentioned we named the Court of Alderman they lay in the Compafs of about half a Leag. every way & 6 Leag. from the Main between which & them lay other Islds. the most of them are very barren rocks & of these there is a very great Variety some of them are of as small a Compafs as the Monument in London & Spire up to a much greater height: they lay in the Lat. of 36º:57'. Some of them are inhabited, at Noon they bore 60º E. dist. 3 or 4 Leagues & a Rock like a Castle lying not far from the Main bore N. 40ºw on Leag. Latde. observed 36.58' S. Course & distance since yesterday at Noon is NNW½W ab. 20 Leag. in this Situation had 28 fam. water & a great many small Islands & Rocks on every side of us, the Mainland appears here with a hilly rugged & barren surface, no plantations to be seen nor are other signs of its being well inhabited.
Saturday 4. The first & middle [pm?] little wind at ENE, & clear wea. the Latter had a fresh breeze at NNW & hazy with rain at PM 3 Canoes came off from the Main to the Ship & after Parading about a little they darted 2 Pikes at us the first was at one of our Men as he was going to give them a rope thinking they were coming onbd., but the 2nd they throw'd into the Ship, the firing of one Musquet sent them away. Each of these Canoes where made out of one large Tree & were without any sort of Ornament & the People in them where mostly quite naked. At 2 PM saw a large opening or inlet in the land which we bore up for with an intent to come to an Anchor, at this time had 41 fam. which gradually decreased to 9 fam. at which time we were ½ Mile from a high Tower'd Rock lying near the South point of the inlet the rock & the Northernmst. of the Court of Aldermen being in one of bearg. S.61º E. At ½ past 7 Anchor'd in 7 fa., a little within the S. Entrance of the Bay or inlet. We were accompanied in here by several Canoes who stay'd about the Ship until dark & before they went away they were so generous as to tell us that they would come & attack us in the Morning, but some of them paid us a Vifit in the night, thinking no doubt but what they should find all hands asleep but as soon as they found their Mistake they went off. my reasons for putting in here were the hope of discovering a good Harbour & the desire I had of being in some convenient place to observe the Transit of Mercury which happens on the 9th Inst. & will be we hope Vifible here if the day is clear, if we should be so fortunate as to obtain this