Historedia
Person

Tupaia

Events
1
Episodes
5
Years
1769

Every event in Historedia whose sources name Tupaia, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

  1. James Cook's Endeavour Voyage: Tahiti and New Zealand

    1769

    Role: Tahitian navigator who later served as interpreter and mediator with Māori

    1. 13 April 1769 · Matavai Bay, TahitiArrival at Matavai Bay, Tahiti

      Endeavour reached Tahiti on 13 April 1769, positioning the expedition for the transit observations.

    2. 3 June 1769 · Tahiti observation siteObservation of the Transit of Venus

      The expedition observed the 3 June 1769 transit of Venus from Tahiti, the voyage's principal scientific aim.

    3. early October 1769 · New Zealand coastline, Poverty BayLandfall in New Zealand

      Endeavour reached New Zealand in early October 1769, the first European vessel there since Tasman in 1642.

    4. 7–9 October 1769 · Poverty Bay, future site of GisborneFirst Contact with Māori at Poverty Bay

      The first encounters between Māori and Europeans at Poverty Bay over two days left four or five Māori dead.

    5. mid-October 1769 · East coast of the North Island, from Cape Kidnappers to Tolaga Bay, south of Poverty BayPeaceful Encounters and Tupaia's Mediation

      Further south, encounters at Anaura Bay and Tolaga Bay were peaceful, with Tupaia interpreting and trade following.

Sources

  1. First voyage of James Cook Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-17