Abraham Bristow discovers the Auckland Islands

Background. Abraham Bristow (c. 1771–1846) was a British mariner, sealer and whaler. He sailed for the South Seas as master of the vessel Ocean, departing London on 2 April 1805. By May 1806 the ship had reached Adventure Bay off Tasmania, and it departed for Britain on 4 August 1806. The Auckland Islands are an archipelago of New Zealand lying 465 km south of the South Island.

Discovery. Bristow discovered the Auckland Islands on 18 August 1806, two weeks after departing Adventure Bay off Tasmania. He found the islands uninhabited at the time of his arrival. The vessel Ocean was in a 'lumbering state' and did not reach London until February 1807.

Naming. Bristow named the islands "Lord Auckland's" on 18 August 1806. The name honoured his father's friend William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland, whose son the Earl of Auckland would later be namesake of New Zealand's largest city. The islands carry the Māori names Motu Maha ("Many islands") or Maungahuka ("Snowy mountains").