The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
The north entrance lies in the latitude of 45° 38ʹ south, and five
leagues to the north of Five Fingers’ Point. To make this entrance
plain, it will be necessary to approach the shore within a few miles; as
all the land within, and on each side, is of considerable height. Its
situation may, however, be known at a greater distance; as it lies under
the first craggy mountains which rise to the north of the land of Five
Fingers’ Point. The southernmost of these mountains is remarkable;
having at its summit two small hillocks. When this mountain bears
S. S. E. you will be before the entrance, on the south side of which are
several isles. The westernmost and outermost is the most considerable,
both for height and circuit; and this I have called Break-sea Isle,
because it effectually covers this entrance from the violence of the
S. W. swell, which the other entrance is so much exposed to. In sailing
in you leave this isle, as well as all the others, to the south. The
best anchorage is in the first or north arm, which is on the larboard
hand going in, either in one of the coves, or behind the isles that lie
under the S. E. shore.
The country is exceedingly mountainous; not only about Dusky Bay, but
through all the southern part of this western coast of Tavia Poenammoo.
A prospect more rude and craggy is rarely to be met with; for inland
appears nothing but the summits of mountains of a stupendous height, and
consisting of rocks that are totally barren and naked, except where they
are covered with snow. But the land bordering on the sea coast, and all
the islands, are thickly clothed with wood, almost down to the water’s
edge. The trees are of various kinds, such as are common to other parts
of this country, and are fit for the shipwright, house-carpenter,
cabinet-maker, and many other uses. Except in the river Thames I have
not seen finer timber in all New Zealand: both here and in that river,
the most considerable for size is the spruce tree, as we called it, from
the similarity of its foliage to the American spruce, though the wood is
more ponderous and bears a greater resemblance to the pitch pine. Many
of these trees are from six to eight, and ten feet in girt, and from
sixty to eighty or one hundred feet in length; large enough to make a
main-mast for a fifty-gun ship.
Here are, as well as in all other parts of New Zealand, a great number
of aromatic trees and shrubs, most of the myrtle kind; but amidst all
this variety we met with none which bore fruit fit to eat.
In many parts the woods are so over-run with supple-jacks, that it is
scarcely possible to force one’s way amongst them. I have seen several
which were fifty or sixty fathoms long.
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