40 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 



along parallel with the mainland, and its north point is a 

 bluff head just without Cook's Cove. It has an area of about 

 '80 acres, and is unoccupied. The island is named after 

 Mr. Herman Sporing, one of Sir Joseph Banks's retinue on 

 board the " Endeavour." The channel between the island 

 and the mainland is narrow, and shallow at low water. Our 

 voyagers visited this island, and Banks saw here the largest 

 war-canoe he met with on his voyage to New Zealand. The 

 dimensions of the canoe were : Length, 68-J-ft. ; breadth, 5 ft. ; 

 and depth, 3 ft. 6 in. He also saw here a large uncompleted 

 building, with side posts carved, as he says, "in a masterly 

 style, with spirals and distorted human faces." Tnere is a 

 most extraordinary subterranean cavern here, leading from 

 the sea on the east side of the island to near its centre, where 

 it opens out to daylight in a large crater-like abyss some 50 ft. 

 deep. At low tide the natives say that it is possible to walk 

 and crawl out to the coast from the bottom of this crater. At 

 high tide the water rushes in. Cook's people could not have 

 seen this place, as, being so remarkable, they would surely 

 have mentioned it if they had. Polack records that he did 

 not visit Sporing Island, but was told about the subterranean 

 passage by the natives. 



Cook sailed from Tolaga Bay on the 29th October, 1769, 

 having been at anchor there for six days, during which time 

 70 tons of water was shipped and sufficient firewood obtained. 

 He never revisited it, but Captain Furneaux, in the " Adven- 

 ture," spent seven days there — from the 9th to the 16th 

 November, 1773 — getting wood and water. The cove can 

 never be of use as a harbour as it is too shallow, and is ex- 

 posed to the north-east and east winds. 



Before concluding about Cook's Cove, Tolaga Bay, I must 

 say that I think the Government should be prevailed upon 

 to acquire the title to the cove and let the place remain in 

 its natural state, as has been done at Ship Cove. Queen 

 Charlotte Sound. I do not mean to infer that the Govern- 

 ment should set aside all places in New Zealand visited by 

 Cook ; but this cove above all others has so many natural as 

 well as historical attractions that I am sure the people of this 

 colony and visitors in days to come would be pleased to see it 

 kept in its natural state. 



After leaving Tolaga the "Endeavour" called at Mercurjr 

 Bay, Thames Estuary, and Bay of Islands, and, rounding the 

 North Cape, sailed down the west coast of the North Island 

 and anchored in Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, which is 

 a,t the north end of the South Island. 



At the time of my visit to Queen Charlotte Sound last 

 Easter 1 was unaware of Cook's chart of this place which is 

 to be found in Hawkesworth's edition of the Voyages, but had 



