Mauri 'Geezer' on Urupukapuka Island and Assassination Cove - Nos 6, 10 & 11 on your Hymnsheets {with a little connection to 8}

Some shots over the side as we make our way, at around 24 knots, to Urupukapuka Island ... ... ...

This is the highly personable, informative and entertaining John Martin {couldn't even begin to remember his Maori name, let alone pronounce it!}

John held court on the trip, talked about culture ...

Told us stories and filed us in on historical background ...

 

In Maori language, there is no plural using an 's' - instead words will be repeated to indicate more than one.

'Puka' could be one of three different plants: shining broadleaf, Griselinia lucida with dark purple fruit; Meryta sinclairii - a tree with large, shiny, leathery leaves and black succulent fruit or Muehlenbeckia australis - a woody climbing plant to 10 m with black wrinkled fruit.

So ... Pukapuka implies that the island was covered with plants of that type - simples! 

These two are of Assassination Cove - 

"L'Anse des Assassinats" - why the French? 

Well it's very interesting you should ask ... ... ...

Marion du Fresne was a fine navigator who set out from France in 1771 on a search for Terra Australis Incognita. He discovered the Crozet Islands in the Southern Ocean, explored Tasmania, named Mount Egmont "Pic Mascarin" and North Cape " Windy Cape", then in early May 1772, anchored south of Marion's Island (Moturua No8) to restore the health of both his men and his ships. They were treated generously by Te Kuri and his people, allowed to set up camps ashore and to cut the Kauri which du Fresne described as " magnificent cedar trunks more than 100 feet from the ground to the lowest branches."

After 33 days of mutual respect and affection, something changed the relationship between Maori and French: a broken tapu? overstaying their visit? detaining a chief overnight for thieving?

On June 12, du Fresne was murdered with 12 of his men. The next day a further boat-load of 14 sailors were killed.

In revenge the French sacked two Pa (Maori for hill) killed 250 Maori, then left, declaring the country for France, unaware of Captain Cook's prior claim.

This incident was apparently stark in the minds of the early 1780s British Committee selecting the location of convict colonies and was a major factor in their decision to choose Australia's Botany Bay, where the aborigines were timid and seen as no threat to a new colony.