On October 6, 1769—250 years ago today—Captain James Cook reached New Zealand on his first voyage to the Pacific. He would eventually map the entire New Zealand coastline, including the area here at Marlborough Sounds, a network of ancient sunken river valleys on New Zealand"s South Island. The main purpose of Cook"s voyage to the Pacific was to sail to Tahiti and observe the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. Only after completing this task did Cook unseal the rest of his orders and learn he was to search the South Pacific for signs of a fabled great southern continent, Terra Australis Incognito. European Renaissance geographers believed this hypothetical southern landmass must exist in order to counterbalance the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Land ho in New Zealand 250 years ago
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
The mighty, mighty mushroom
-
Góða ólavsøku, from the Faroes!
-
Class, please take out a No. 2 pencil…
-
Does it swim in slow motion too?
-
The party’s just starting
-
Paris is photo-ready this week
-
Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
-
Into the woods
-
The Big Blue of the Sierra
-
A winter wonderland in Northeast China
-
Cool water in the Quinault
-
For the love of bikes
-
World Laughter Day—it s a hoot
-
Reflections on Memorial Day
-
Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…
-
Autumn in the cypress swamp
-
Happy World Meteorological Day
-
Look before you leap
-
Looking for peace on the precipice
-
Does this chameleon look a little insecure?