Cook's First Voyage: Transit of Venus and Pacific
Commissioned by the Royal Society to observe the 1769 transit of Venus from Tahiti, Cook then opened sealed orders directing him to search for the Great Southern Continent. He charted the entire coastline of both islands of New Zealand (October 1769–March 1770), then followed the Australian continent northward from its southeastern tip, charting over 3,000 miles of coast and claiming the eastern seaboard as 'New South Wales' for Britain at Possession Island on 22 August 1770. The Endeavour nearly foundered on the Great Barrier Reef and limped to Batavia for repairs. His charts and the botanical specimens collected by Joseph Banks transformed European knowledge of the Pacific world.
- Year: 1768 CE
