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Before the arrival of man, New Zealand had lived in
total isolation for around 80 million years.
Maori Settlers
According to Maori oral history Kupe was the first Maori to discover New
Zealand in the mid 10th century. Some legends say that Kupe stayed in New
Zealand and lived out his life here, others say that he returned to his homeland
and gave the sailing instructions on his journeys, which people used
centuries later to return to New Zealand.
Whatever the truth about Kupe the Maoris migrated to New Zealand from "Hawaiki".
Hawaiki is believed to be somewhere in the Pacific group of Islands. There have
been a lot of theories why and how the Maori came to settle New Zealand. Some
say that the original Maori were blown of course and accidentally discovered New
Zealand. On the other hand some say that there settlement was planned and that
there were repeat journeys back and forth between New Zealand and Hawaiki by
skilled Maori Navigators sailing their boats (Waka) using the currents and
Stars.
The early history is a bit of a mystery but by the 14th century Maori were
settled in New Zealand. Mainly in the North of the North Island where it is the
warmest. By 1800 there was a population roughly around 100,000.
European Settlers
The Dutch Navigator Abel Tasman was the first European to sight New Zealand
in 1641.The first British explorer Captain James Cook visited New Zealand in
1769 and "took possession of them for Britain".
By the 1790s Sealers came to New Zealand to hunt the fur seals around the
coast. They almost hunted them to extinction in 30 years. In the 1820s Whalers
were calling spasmodically at the Bay of Islands for food and maintenance. This
led to the first real European settlement in called Kororareka (Russell) which
became the first capital of New Zealand. In the early days Russell was a lawless
and dangerous place. There was also a rush to harvest wood in the North. Kauri
was an extremely useful wood and many timber felling settlements sprang up
around the North.
The European brought weapons and disease to the Maori. This had a devastating
affect on the population and balance that had prevailed. There was an increase
in inter-tribal wars between Maori and atrocities committed by many of the
European visitors.
In 1839 Captain William Hobson was sent from London to negotiate with the
Maori chiefs of New Zealand the transfer of sovereignty of New Zealand into
British hands.
On February 6 1840 'The Treaty of Waitangi" was signed by a group of
Maori chiefs. The Treaty is the founding document of present day New Zealand. This document was controversial then and is still being
argued over in present times. February the 6th is still
celebrated as
New Zealand's National Day.
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