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. 223

[Page 223]
New Zealand
[In margin] March 1770
behind these hills lies the ridge of Mountains which are of a prodigious height & appear to consist of nothing but barren rocks covered in many places wit large patches of snow which perhaps have lain there since the Creation, no country upon Earth can appear with a more ruged & barren Aspect than this doth from the Sea for as far as inland that the Eye can reach nothing is to be seen but the Summits of these rocky Mountains which seem to lay so near one another as not to admit any Vallies between them, from the Latde of 44º:20'So to the Latde 42:8 these mountains lay farther inland the Country between them & the Sea Consists of woody Hills & Vallies of Various extent both for height & Depth & hath much the Appearance of Fertility, many of the Vallies are large, low, & flatt & appear'd to be wholy covered with Wood, but it is very probable that great part of the land is taken up in Lake Ponds etc. as is very common in such like places from the last mentioned Latde to Cape Farewell afterwards so called the land is not distinguished by anything remarkable it rises into the hills directly from the Sea & is covered with wood, while we were upon this part of the Coast the wear was foggy & Clouds, which plainly shew'd that the inland parts were high & mountainous & gave me great reason to think that there is a Continued Cahin of Mountains from the one End of the Island to the other.

Sunday 24th In the PM had a Gentle breeze at SWt which by Dark run us the length of the Eastern Point set at Noon & not knowing what course the land took on the other side we brot too in 24 fam about one Leage from the land at 8 it falling little wind we fill'd[?] & stood on until' 12 at which time we also brot too until' 4AM then made sail, at day light we low land extending from the above point to the ESEt as far as the Eye could reach the Eastern Extremity of which appear'd in round Hillocks by this time the wind had veer'd to the Eastwd which obliged us to ply to windward, at Noon the point above mentioned bore SWbS distt 16 Miles Latd observ'd  40:19So this point I afterwards named Cape Farewell, for reasons which will be given in their proper place.

Sunday 25th Winds Easterly, towards Noon had little wind & hazey wth rain - made sevl trips but gain'd nothg to Windwd so that at Noon our situatn was nearly as yesterday 

Monday 26th At 3PM the wind came to No & we steer'd ESE with all the Sail we could get until' dark when we shortened Sail until' the morning having thick Misty wear all Night we kept the lead going continually & had from 37 to 42 fam at daylight we saw the land bear SEbEt & an Island laying near it bearg ESE distt 5 Leags this I know to be the Island seen from the Entrance of Queen Charlotte sound from which it bears NWbN Distt 9 Leags at Noon it bore SE distt 4 or 5 Miles & the NW head of Queen Charlotte sound bore SEbS distt 10½ Leags Latd observ'd 40:38So.