BOTANICAL DISCOVERY. XV 
~ 
5th December. During this time visits were made to several of the 
islands in the bay, and to the mainland ; but as it was impossible to go 
far from the coast, along which the vegetation was by no means varied, 
not many plants were collected, only seventy-seven being credited to 
the locality in Solander’s manuscripts. 
Leaving the Bay of Islands, Cook continued his survey of the coast 
to the North Cape, where he met with fierce and prolonged gales of such 
exceptional character that three weeks were occupied in rounding it. 
He then proceeded southwards along the western coast, but its danger- 
ously open character prevented him from making a close approach. 
He consequently failed to observe any of the harbours—Hokianga, 
Kaipara, Manukau, Kawhia, &c.—and, as no canoes were seen, there 
was no intercourse with the inhabitants. He passed Mount Egmont 
on the 13th January, entered Cook Strait on the 15th, and on the 16th 
anchored in Queen Charlotte Sound, in the northern portion of the 
South Island. In this locality he made a stay of three weeks, taking 
advantage of his visit to careen and clean his ship, to lay in a stock of 
wood and water, and to give his crew the welcome change of a diet 
of fresh fish and green vegetables. He remarks that Queen Charlotte 
Sound ‘is a collection of some of the finest harbours in the world,” 
and that “the Cove in which we lay, called Ship Cove, is not inferior 
to any in the Sound, both in point of Security and other Conveniences.” 
He also says that the land “ consists wholly of high hills and deep 
Valleys, well stored with a variety of excellent Timber, fit for all purposes 
except Ship’s Masts, for which use it is too hard and heavy.” The 
collection of plants made was larger than that formed in any other 
locality, numbering 220 species. 
Taking his departure from Queen Charlotte Sound on the 7th 
February, Cook first took a run northwards to Cape Turnagain, thus 
completing his survey of the North Island. He then turned to the 
south, passing down the east coast of the South Island. On the 
17th February he rounded Banks Peninsula, which he took to be an 
island; on the 25th February he was off Cape Saunders; and on the 
10th March he was abreast of the south end of Stewart Island, which he 
assumed to be a peninsula connected with the mainland by a narrow 
neck. On the 13th he passed the entrance to Dusky Sound, from 
whence he followed the western coast northwards, reaching Cape 
Farewell on the 24th March, and thus completing the circumnavigation 
of the South Island. On the 27th he put mto Admiralty Bay, to the 
west of Queen Charlotte Sound, for the purpose of again renewing 
his stock of wood and water, and on the 31st he left New Zealand, 
steering a course for the east coast of Australia. 
In 1771 Cook returned to England. The natural-history col- 
lections, which were the property of Sir Joseph Banks, contained?a 
large amount of material; but no work has ever been published 
treating of them as a whole. The plants had for the most part been 
