Meretoto/Ship Cove was James Cook’s favourite New Zealand base during his three voyages of exploration. It is also part of the rich history of Polynesian navigation and has great significance for local Māori.
Mounuments to Cook were erected in 1913 and 1920. In recent years three pouwhenua/monuments have also been added at the site, depicting Kupe and local tribes.
For early Māori, Meretoto/Ship Cove offered vital shelter from the rough open sea, and place names in the area reference the great explorer Kupe. The Tahitian navigator Tupaia commands great respect for smoothing the first contact with Cook and reconnecting local tribes to their Polynesian roots.
Current Meretoto guardians Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui have a deep connection to Tupaia.
The Kurahaupō iwi of Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne o Wairau and Ngāti Apa Ki te Rā Tō were the iwi present at Meretoto at the arrival of Captain Cook on the Endeavour. They also met with the Tahitian priest Tupaia, and were able to converse with him, making connections back to their ancestral homeland of Rāngiatea from which he came.
The natural heritage of the site, filled with bird song and thick coastal forests, is reminiscent of the environment Cook would have encountered when he first landed. Over 125 years of preservation have seen the area remain largely unmodified, except for modern visitor facilities..
Meretoto/Ship Cove is the only location visited on all three of Cook’s voyages in the 1770s, one of only two in the South Island, and the only anchorage in his final voyage. Cook spent 170 of his total 328 days in the country here, meaning that the site had some of the most precisely measured coordinates in the world at that time.
Frequent contact between Māori and Europeans at Meretoto/Ship Cove laid the foundation for New Zealand’s bicultural heritage. Meretoto/Ship Cove became New Zealand’s first historic reserve in 1896 and an attraction for both tourists and historians.
Citation: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/marlborough/places/queen-charlotte-sound-totaranui-area/historic-ship-cove/#
You will have NO cellular service here, so will need to download the cache page for offline use before you visit. The only access to Meretoto/Ship Cove is by boat, either private or a commercial tour. Hence, the boat required attribute
In Ship Cove you will find a large monument. Behind it are several information boards where you will find most of the answers needed for this virtual. There are two guns in front of the memorial and one of these will hold the answer to the last question. Much of the info could be gleaned from Google, so the last question is included to ensure that you have actually visited the site.
If you have the time, I encourage you to hike to the waterfall and/or the overlook. There are also two traditional caches nearby.
To log this virtual, please email or message answers to the following questions. If you are part of a group, one person may send the answers on behalf of the group. You may log the virtual immediately without sending the answers. Any log that is not followed up with the answers within 30 days is subject to deletion. However, I will contact you through the geocaching message system before doing so.
Photos with your online log are welcome but not required. It would also be interesting to learn what country you live in.
- In Māori legends, from what material did Maui create his fish hook?
- When Cook visited in 1770, his sailors brought copper ovens ashore to re-bake what? Be specific!
- How many of Cook’s men were killed on Arapaoa Island during his second visit?
- Facing the monument (with your back to the water) go to the gun on your right. On the right side of that gun (with your back to the water) find the round end of the pin that allows the gun barrel to pivot up and down. What two letters are found etched in that circle?
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
