The Tuia Mātauranga GeoTour is about having fun discovering the history of Aotearoa New Zealand by finding sites of significance in local communities from early Pacific voyaging and migration, European settlement to present day. The interaction between people, and people and the land have provided a rich history that the GeoTour invites you to explore.
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On 21 October 1769, Captain James Cook in the Endeavour entered Anaura Bay to be welcomed by Maori in their canoes. Cook and his men were given a cordial reception by local chiefs, thanks to Tupaia’s quickly spreading reputation as a high-born Ra’iātean priest and star navigator. They were able to land to collect firewood and fill their casks with water from Hawai Stream where there is now a plaque to record this event. A heavy swell was running, and little water was taken off through the surf, so local Maori advised Cook to steer for the next bay south where water could easily be obtained. He named this Tolaga Bay.
Historically Anaura Bay is important as it is the first place a comprehensive written description of Maori horticulture was undertaken. The men on board the Endeavour were astonished by the neatness, regularity and extent of the gardens seen in the area and recorded that "… the cultivations were truly astonishing... “. Their views influenced the idea that Māori were efficient agriculturalists.
Sir Joseph Banks, in his Journal, wrote, “Their plantations were now hardly finished, but so well was the ground tilled that I have seldom seen land better broken up. In them were planted sweet potatoes, cocos, and a plant of the cucumber kind, as we judged from the seed-leaves which just appeared above ground. The first of these were planted in small hills, some in rows, others in quincunx, all laid most regularly in line. The cocos were planted on flat land, and had not yet appeared above ground. The cucumbers were set in small hollows or ditches, much as in England. These plantations varied in size from 1 to 10 acres each. Each distinct patch was fenced in, generally with reeds placed close one by another so that a mouse could scarcely creep through.” The plants seen by Banks would no doubt be the kumara, taro, and the gourd or calabash.
The Endeavour spent two days at Anaura Bay. During that time the ship botanists Joseph Banks and 
Daniel Solander came ashore and collected the first scientific specimens of New Zealand plants. Banks wrote extensively on his observations of all aspects Maori life he witnessed in Anaura Bay. Tupaia had long talks with the paramount chief, Te Whakatatare.
At this time between two and three thousand people lived in this district. Heavy bush covered the area except for the large gardens on the lower sheltered slopes of the beach front and flat lands close to the bay.
The 1769 Garden
Interestingly, a public garden based on the arrival in Gisborne of Captain James Cook’s ship Endeavour in 1769 is being developed at a native reserve at the entrance to Longbush Ecosanctuary. The 1769 Garden is a botanical commemoration of the first encounters between local Tairāwhiti Māori and the crew aboard Captain Cook’s ship the Endeavour. Native plants are to be grown from seeds connected to those taken from the East Coast to England by Endeavour botanists Daniel Solander and Joseph Banks. These include kowhai, which was flowering when they landed, and a variety of native herbs. The 1769 Garden has been created 9km from Gisborne on land owned by historian and Captain Cook expert Dame Anne Salmond. Its designers aim to have the 1769 Garden well-established at Longbush Ecosanctuary by October 2019 for the 250th anniversary of Cook’s landing and the first meeting of Maori and Europeans.
The posted coordinates take you to the memorial plaques at Hawai Stream. Answer the following questions to find the cache at S38 14.ABC E178 18.XYZ
A Cook was welcomed with 3 things. Take the letter count of the 1st minus the letter count of the 3rd.
B The people of Anaura Bay are the Ngati ______ (letter count)
C The number of letters in the name of the ship (exclude 'the')
X The plaque states "Lt James Cook and the ______" (letter count)
Y The number of letters in the middle word of the middle line on the 1969 plaque.
Z The last digit of the day of the month on the plaque
Check-sum A + B + C + X + Y + Z = 25
The cache is a 400ml sistema hidden somewhere along the flat lands that are still harvested today.
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To be able to complete this Geotour and receive your special geocoin, remember to take a note of the codeword on the log book of the cache. This will need to be recorded in your passport which can be downloaded from here. If the passport is unavailable for any reason just keep a note of the codeword and try again later.