52 LISTENER SEPTEMBER 14 2019
BOOKS&CULTURE
by ANN PACKER
W
ith the 250th anniversary of
the Endeavour’s first arrival
in Aotearoa upon us, the
story of Tupaia, the Tahitianwho played a pivotal role in the voyage,
is being told anew. The Auckland War
Memorial Museum exhibition Voyage to
Aotearoa: Tupaia and the Endeavour aims
to show the perspective of the Pacific
islander who helped Captain James Cook
navigate to the southernmost reaches of
Polynesia.
Arriving as a spin-off to the showcase is
The Adventures of Tupaia, by Courtney Sina
Meredith and illustrator Mat Tait, who tell
his story in a dramatic mix of verse, prose
and stylised vignettes, with the occasional
comic-book sequence. It’s varied enough
textually and visually to hold the atten-
tion of younger readers.
The book shows that had Lieutenant
James Cook not met the high-ranking
priest and master navigator when he
stopped in Tahiti to observe the Transit
of Venus, his voyage in search of the
legendary Great Southern Continent
might have turned out differently. Not
only did Tupaia contribute his expertise
as a navigator well versed in sailing by the
stars, but also speaking a language close
enough to te reo allowed him to act as an
interpreter and cultural intermediary. He
also took up painting and his art, includ-
ing his Chart of the South Pacific – long
assumed the work of others – is only now
being acknowledged. Tupaia’s friendship
with artist Sydney Parkinson introduced
the ‘arioi (priest) to new techniques for
capturing the world around him, and
allowed Parkinson to learn some Tahitian
language and traditions.
Sadly, Tupaia did not fulfil his dream of
sailing to Great Britain – his was the only
death from scurvy on board Endeavour.
But his legacy survives, as Meredith writes,
“because, without Tupaia’s wisdom, Cook
would not have been able to navigate the
South Pacific the way he did”.A
nother book aimed at youngsters
about Cook’s first voyage looks at
how he was able to map the country
with a remarkable degree of accuracy.
Tessa Duder and David Elliot’s First Map:
How James Cook Charted Aotearoa New
Zealand is a handsome, tall hardback,
jacketed in a folded copy of the original
Folio 16 chart.
Duder, veteran of many voyages under
sail, skilfully steers her text between
what she calls “the shoals of opposing
viewpoints”. Her account works for all
ages, but kids will love her description of
Royal Society botanist Joseph Banks as
“stupendously wealthy”. Duder’s choice of
Elliot as the visual interpreter of existingillustrations, plus many of his own, is
inspired. His sepia-tinged and occasionally
bloodstained drawings strike just the right
blend of historical accuracy and mystique,
in a design evocative of weathered parch-
ment. One of his most poignant images
is of Cook’s sodden tricorn, abandoned at
the water’s edge on Kealakekua Bay after
he was killed by Hawaiians on February
14, 1779. The book may show how, with
Tupaia’s help, Cook was the first to mark
out our country’s outline; it also charts
how he gave his life in his missions to
open up the Pacific to the British Empire. l
THE ADVENTURES OF TUPAIA, by Courtney
Sina Meredith, with illustrations by Mat Tait
(Allen & Unwin, $35)
FIRST MAP: How James Cook Charted
Aotearoa New Zealand, by Tessa Duder, with
illustrations by David Elliot (HarperCollins, $50)The exhibition Voyage to Aotearoa: Tupaia
and the Endeavour is at the Auckland War
Memorial Museum from September 13 to
March 15.Putting us
on the map
The navigational
feats of James
Cook and Tupaia,
his Tahitian guide,
are well illustrated
in new kids’ books.
“Without Tupaia’s
wisdom, Cook would
not have been able tonavigate the South Pacific
the way he did.”An illustration from The
Adventures of Tupaia: varied
enough to hold younger
readers’ attention.