Page:Manual of the New Zealand Flora.djvu/19

Rh 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 dangerously 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 into 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 collections, 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