These were The Explorers
These are the names and details of the European Explorers who were murdered while exploring New Zealand
Due to the large number of them, and the graphic nature, only a brief snapshot of each incident can be given
Tasman's Expedition 1642
Abel Tasman is recognised as the first European explorer to sight New Zealand, his two ships arrived off what is now Farewell Spit in 1642.
Tasman sent a small boat to the shore to gather water, as it was returning to his transport ship The Zeehaen a maori war canoe attacked the men in it, killing four of the crew, they were:
Jan Thijssen of Cologne, Tobias Pietersz, Jan Isbrantsz and another unnamed Dutchman - four explorers in total
Cook's 2nd Voyage 1773
On this voyage, Cook brought another vessel the Adventure under Captain Tobias Furneaux. After much needed repairs, Furneaux sent his large cutter under midshipman Rowe to shore with nine men to gather fresh greenery. When they did not return, Fureneaux sent his launch under second Lieutenant Burney and ten marines to look for them.
They sighted a native canoe on the beach and went ashore to investigate, two natives ran away, they searched the canoe and found shoes belong to the cutter's crew. Then they found baskets containing human flesh which they soon realised was the remains of the crew, and then they sighted four more canoes, they searched the beach and found their fellow explorers had been cut open and left to the dogs.
The ten sailors killed and eaten were:- Mr Rowe, Mr Woodhouse, Francis Humphrey, William Facey, Thomas Hill, Michael Bell, Edward Jones, John Caveragh, Thomas Milton and James Sevilley.
Marion du Fresene
On May 4th 1772 the French explorer Marion du Fresene sailed into the Bay of Islands with two ships the Mascarinand the Marquis de Sactries. They needed fresh water and a chance to treat sixty of their sailor suffering from scurvy.
The natives were friendly and came onboard the ships and even slept overnight. The local chief was Te Kuri. For five weeks Du Fresne's men traded trinkets, nails and iron for fish. On June 12 du Fresne and two armed officers and thirteen unarmed sailors went ashore to go fishing, as they had many times before. The next day a longboat was sent to collect firewood. The friendly natives offered to help them and then the crew were attacked and killed with clubs and spear. One man managed to escape and swam back to his ship, he saw the first longboat empty on the shore and realised what had happened.Lieutenant Roux with fifty French sailors dug in on Moturoa island and were soon attacked by about 1,000 natives. Chief Te Kuri and aprroximalty 250 of his men were killed, with the loss of no Frenchmen.
Later the French searched Te Kuri's pa and found the remains of the murdered sailors, killed, eaten and abused.No one knows the reason for these two attacks on the sailors. After 5 weeks of friendly relations, had something gone wrong and the maori practised utu (revenge) or had the French broken some unknown tapu?
So we add 27 unnamed sailors to the roll of honour.
References
More details can be found in A Savage Country by noted historian Paul Moon 2012, or Blood and Tears by Adam Plover 2018.
(t11)