COOK’s V O Y AGE 
a 6 
CHAP. VIII. 
A general Account of New Zealand : its frji difeovery, Ifc. 
N EW ZEALAND was firft difeovered by Abel Jan- 
fen Tafman, a Dutch Navigator, whofe name has been 
feveral times mentioned in this narrative, on the 13 th of De- 
cember, in the year 164^. He traveried the eaftern coaft from 
latitude 34 to 43, and entered the ftreight which divides the 
two iflands, and in the chart is called Cook’s Streight : 
hut being attacked by the natives foon after he came to an 
anchor, in the place to which he gave the name of Murderer’s 
Bay, he never went on Ihore. He gave the country the name - 
of staat en-Isl a n d, or the land of the States, in honour of 
the Statcs-General, and it is now generally diftinguilhed in our 
maps and charts by the name of New Zealand. As the 
whole of this country, except that part of the coaft which was 
fee n by' Tafman from on board his ihip, has from his time, 
to the voyage of the Endeavour, remained altogether un- 
. known, it has by many been fuppoled to be part of a fouthern 
continent. It is however now known to confift of two large 
iflands,' divided from each other by a ftreight or paflage, which 
is about four or five leagues broad. 
Thefe iilands are fituated between the- latitudes of 34ana 48 
S» and between the longitude of 181 and 194 W. which is - 
now determined with uncommon exa&nefs, from innumerable 
jobfervadons of the fun and moon, and one of the tranfits of > 
-Mercury, l y Mr. Green, a perlcn of known abilities, who,, 
as has been obftrved before, was font out by the Royal Socie- 
ty, .to oblerve the tranfrt of Venus in the South Seas. 
The .ncr.herrnoft cf thefe iflands is called by the natives . 
Eahern&inauwe, and die for therm eft Tovy, or Tavai Poe-, 
.nanmoo ; yet, as I have obferyed before, we are not fuse 
whether the name .of Tovy Poenammoo comprehends the 
.whole fouthern illaad, or only part of it. The figure and 
.extent of thefe iflands, with the lituation cf the bays and har- 
bours they contain, and the fxn slier Iflands that lie about them, 
will appear from the chart that I have drawn, every part of 
which, however, I cannot vouch to be equally accurate. The 
coaft of Eaheinomauwe, from Cape Pall ifer to Eaft Cape, is 
laid down with great exa&nefs, both in its figure, and the 
courfe and diftance from point to point ; for the opportunities 
that offered, and the rnerhodsvhat I ufed, were fuch as could 
fearcely admit of an error. Ftom Eaft Cape to St. Maria van 
Diemen, the chart, tho’ perhaps not. equally exaft, is without 
any error cf moment, except potlibly in feme tew places which 
are here, and in other parts, of die chart, diftinguilhed by a 
dotted 
