Old Map of New Zealand

Historical Background

This French chart of New Zealand was published in Paris in 1774 from James Cook’s surveys during the Endeavour voyage of 1769–1770. It records the coastlines of the two main islands, with the ship’s track extending around them and through Cook Strait. Engraved under the direction of Robert Bénard, it accompanied the French edition of John Hawkesworth’s account of the voyages and helped bring Cook’s geographical work to a wider European readership.

Map Details

• Original title: Carte de la Nle. Zélande visitée en 1769 et 1770 par le Lieutenant J. Cook Commandant de l’Endeavour, Vaisseau de sa Majesté
• Surveyor: James Cook
• Engraving direction: Robert Bénard
• Survey dates: 1769–1770
• Publication: French edition, Paris, 1774
• Publisher: Saillant et Nyon
• Source: John Hawkesworth’s Relation des voyages, volume III, plate 7
• Area shown: New Zealand, its coastal features and the Endeavour’s track
• Original scale: Approximately 1:3,800,000
• Format: Engraved coastal chart with relief, soundings and a French explanatory key
• Orientation: North is towards the left in the landscape presentation shown here

A coastline traced from the sea

The route surrounding the islands is central to the chart’s character. Its changes of direction record the progress of a ship working around an unfamiliar coastline, rather than a simple line drawn between ports. Small annotations and dates accompany parts of the track. Reading them alongside the bays and headlands makes the map a record of movement as well as a geographical image.

Cook’s work established a remarkably recognisable outline, but it was based on observations from the sea and limited opportunities to land. The coast therefore receives much closer attention than the interior. Engraved mountains suggest the terrain visible inland without providing a comprehensive land survey. Open water occupies a large part of the sheet, giving room for the route, directional lines and navigational information.

Cook Strait and the two main islands

The separation between the North and South Islands is clearly marked as Détroit de Cook. This was an important result of the expedition’s survey: the chart presents two main islands rather than part of the speculative southern continent sought by European navigators. The narrow passage also becomes a focal point in the ship’s movements.

Names around this area include Queen Charlotte Sound, rendered in French on the sheet, and Cape Farewell. Elsewhere, the French lettering sits alongside English names and European attempts to transcribe Māori names. The mixture is part of this edition’s interest. It preserves the results of a British voyage through the typography and language of a Paris publication.

Banks Island and an uncertain southern passage

One particularly memorable feature is the small island drawn off the South Island’s eastern coast and labelled I. de Banks. This is Banks Peninsula, near present-day Christchurch. Seen from offshore, its higher land appeared separate from the mainland because the low ground connecting it was not visible. Cook named the supposed island after Joseph Banks, the botanist aboard Endeavour.

The southern extremity also records uncertainty. Stewart Island/Rakiura was treated on Cook’s early chart as a possible peninsula, with the passage separating it from the South Island left unresolved. These features make the print especially rewarding to compare with a modern map. They show the limits of observation during the voyage alongside the substantial accuracy of the wider coastline.

The French edition and its dates

The years 1769 and 1770 appear in the title because they identify the visit and survey. They are distinct from the 1774 publication of this French engraving. That distinction matters when identifying the print: this is a published version of the survey, rather than Cook’s original manuscript chart.

The French explanatory panel, engraved compass directions and coloured coastal outlines give the sheet a restrained nautical appearance. In its landscape presentation, the lettering runs vertically and north lies to the left; this reflects the displayed orientation of a chart originally arranged as a portrait sheet. The image is retained in its existing presentation.

New Zealand was already home to Māori, and Abel Tasman had reached its shores in 1642. Cook’s achievement here is best described as a major European coastal survey, rather than the discovery of an uninhabited country. This old map of New Zealand preserves that particular stage in mapping, including the expedition’s route and the uncertainties still visible in its outlines.