The death of a Ngāti Whanaunga man during Cook's visit to Hauraki, 1769

Cook and the crew of the Endeavour arrived into Hauraki on Friday the 3rd of November 1769 after passing Tuhua (Mayor Island), near Tauranga. They arrived at a group of rocks and islands called Te Rua-o-Māhua. Cook named this collection of rocks and islets, The Court of Aldermen. Today, these islands are known as the Aldermen Islands. They continued further and came to Te Whitianganui-a-Kupe where, on Thursday the 9th of November, Cook observed the transit of Mercury. He subsequently named the area Mercury Bay.

It was while they were making these observations that a Ngāti Whanaunga man was killed. Cook's journal records the event as follows:

While we were making these observations five Canoes came along side of the Ship, two large and three small ones, in one were 47 people but in the others not so many. They were wholy strangers to us and to all appearances they came with a hostal intention, being compleatly arm'd with Pikes, Darts, Stones & ca however they made no attempt and this was probable owing to their being inform'd by some other Canoes (who at this time were along side selling fish) what sort of people they had to deal with. At their first coming along side they begun to sell out people some of their arms and one Man offer'd to sale an Haāhow (kākahu, cloak), that is a square pice of Cloth such as they wear. Lieut Gore, who at this time was Commanding officer, sent in to the Canoe a peice of Cloth which the man had agreed to take in exchange for his, but as soon as he had got Mr Gore's cloth in his possission he would not part with his own, but put off the Canoe from along side and then shook their paddles at the People of the Ship. Upon this Mr Gore fired a Musquet at them and from what I can learn kill'd the man who tooke the Cloth, after this they soon went away. I have here inserted the account of this affair just I had it from Mr Gore but I must own that it did not meet with my approbation because I thought the punishment a little too severe for the Crime, and we had now been long enough acquainted with these People to know how to chastise trifling faults like this without taking away their lives.

(From The Journals of Captain James Cook, Volume I, The Voyage of the Endeavour 1768-1771, pp. 195, 196, edited by J.C. Beaglehole, Cambridge University Press for the Hakluyt Society 1955)

Interestingly, the incident also appears in the recollections of Te Hōreta Te Taniwha of Ngāti Whanaunga. He and his people were enjoying one of their seasonal visits to Whitianga when the Endeavour arrived. Te Hōreta was a young boy at the time and many years later, he was interviewed for his recollections of Cook's visit. These were subsequently published in a number of books including The Ancient History of the Maori by John White. Te Hōreta's recollection of this incident is as follows:

Kotahi o matou i mate i Whitianga i nga tupua tuatahi mai ki reira, he hono tonu te hokihoki atu o matou ki te hoko ika, kakahu, me nga mea a te maori e kite ai, a ka hoe atu te tahi o a matou waka, me nga tangata toko iwa o taua waka, nei koa he koroke tahae te tahi o taua hunga, a ka maua atu tana topuni hei hoko mana ki aua tupua ra, toko rima o ratou i te whakarei (kei) o te waka toko wha i te ihu, a i te kei taua koroke tahae nei, a ka u atu ratou ki te kaipuke, ka titiro iho te tupua raweke ki te kohi pupu, puawai rakau, kowhatu a ka whakaaria mai  eia te kakahu tupua hei utu mo te topuni a te tahae ra, a ka tawhiri te ringa o te tahae ra kia whakahoroa iho te kakahu ra e taua tupua, a whakahoroa iho ana te kakahu a te tupua ra, e whakahoroa iho ana e te tupua ra me te kohia atu e te tahae ra, ano ka roa te wahi kua takoto i raro i te tahae ra, ka tapohia atu te pito e te tupua ra, me te powhiri te ringa kia hoatu te topuni ra, te kupu te tahae ra te aha, me te takai marire i te topuni me te kahu a te tupua ra, a ka mea te tahae ra ki ana hoa kia hoe ratou ki uta, ka hoe ratou, ka heke te tupua ra ki raro, a ka puta ake ano i roto i te kaipuke me te tokotoko i tana ringa ka whakaari atu ki te waka e hoe ra, ka paku te whatitiri, ka kowhera te uira, me te hoe tonu te waka ra, ano ka u ki uta, ka whakatika nga hoa tokowaru, ka noho tuohu tonu te tahae ra me tana topuni me tana kahu tupua, ka karanga atu nga hoa, a te oho mai hoki te koroke ra, ka tikina atu e tetahi ka whakaohokia, ka hinga wharoro te tangata ra ki te riu o te waka kua mate, a ka kitea ki te toto e mau ana i ana kakahu, me te puta i te tuara, a ka amohia ki te kainga, a ka turia te korero, a ka korero ana hoa i te tahae a taua koroke i te kakahu a te tupua, a ka mea te iwi, “Nana ano te take i mate ai aia, a e kore e tika kia rapua he uta mona, heoi ano tana utu ko te kahu tupua i tahaetia ra eia me waiho hei kopaki mona ki te urupa,” a kawea ana aia nehua ana ki nga ana o mua. A kahore kau he he o taua mate, ka hokihoki atu ano matou ki te kai-puke, a ka hokihoki mai ano aua tupua ki uta, a kahore kau he kupu kino ranei, he hara a matou mo taua tupapaku.

(From The Ancient History of the Maori, by John White, Volume 5, pp. 109-110)

One of our tribe was killed by the goblins who first came to Whitianga (Mercury Bay). We—that is, our people—went again and again to that ship to sell fish, or mats, or anything that we Maoris had to sell; and one day one of our canoes, in which were nine persons, paddled off to the ship; but one of that nine was a noted thief, and this man took a dogskin mat to sell to the goblins. There were five of them at the stern of the canoe and four in the bow, and this thief was with those in the stern. When they got alongside of the ship, the goblin who collected shells, flowers, tree-blossoms, and stones was looking over the side. He held up the end of a garment which he would give in exchange for the dogskin mat belonging to this noted thief; so the thief waved with his hand to the goblin to let some of it down into the canoe, which the goblin did; and, as the goblin let some of it down into the canoe the thief kept pulling it towards him. When the thief had got a long length of the goblin's garment before him, the goblin cut his garment, and beckoned with his hand to the man to give the dogskin mat up to him; but the thief did not utter a word, and began to fold up the dogskin mat with the goblin's garment into one bundle, and told his companions to paddle to the shore. They paddled away. The goblin went down into the hold of the ship, but soon came up with a walking-stick in his hand, and pointed with it at the canoe which was paddling away. Thunder pealed and lightning flashed, but those in the canoe paddled on. When they landed eight rose to leave the canoe, but the thief sat still with his dogskin mat and the garment of the goblin under his feet. His companions called to him, but he did not answer. One of them went and shook him, and the thief fell back into the hold of the canoe, and blood was seen on his clothing and a hole in his back. He was carried to the settlement and a meeting of the people called to consult on the matter, at which his companions told the tale of the theft of the goblin's garment; and the people said, “He was the cause of his own death, and it will not be right to avenge him. All the payment he will obtain for his death will be the goblin's garment which he has stolen, which shall be left to bind around his body where it is laid.” His body was taken and put into one of the ancient cave burial-places. Not any evil came from this death, and we again went to barter with the goblins of that ship, and the goblins came again and again on shore, nor was there one evil word spoken, or any act of transgression on our part for that death.

(From The Ancient History of the Maori by John White, Volume 5, pp.127, 128)

Finally, the incident also appears in the journals of Joseph Banks, a crewmember aboard the Endeavour:

About noon we were alarmd by the report of a great gun fird from the ship, the occasion of which was this: two canoes came to the ship very large and full of people, they shewd by their behaviour that they were quite strangers or at least so much so as not to be at all afraid; they soon enterd into trade and almost immediately cheated by taking the Cloth which was given to them without returning that which was bargaind for. On this they immediately began to sing their war song as if to defy any revenge those on board might chuse to take, this enragd the 2nd lieutenant so much that he leveld a musquet at the man who had still got the cloth in his hand and shot him dead. The canoes went off to some distance but did not go quite away. It was nescessary to send a boat ashore, so least they might atempt to revenge his death upon the boat A round shot was fird over them which had the desird Effect of putting them to flight immediately. The news of this event was immediately brought on shore to our Indians who were at first a little alarmd and retreated from us in a body; in a little time however they returnd on their own accords and acknowledgd that the dead man deservd his punishment — unaskd by us, who thought his fate severe knowing as we did that small shot would have had almost or quite as good an effect with little danger to his life, which tho forfeited to the laws of England we could not but wish to spare if it could be done without subjecting ourselves to the derision and consequently to the attacks of these people; which we have now learnt to fear not least they should kill us, but least we should be reducd to the nescessity of killing a number of them which must be the case should they ever in reality attack us.

See The Endeavour Journal of Joseph Banks, Volume One, p. 429