Hero - Aerial Westhaven

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Hero - Ferries

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Hero - Rangitoto View

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Hero - iSITE

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Hero - Rangitoto Volcanic Rock

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Auckland

The story of New Zealand

Polynesians are thought to have discovered and settled in New Zealand as early as 950AD.

The first European explorer to discover New Zealand was Abel Tasman in 1642. The first encounter between Māori and European was violent, leading to bloodshed. After partly charting the coastline, Tasman left New Zealand without ever having had the occasion to set foot ashore.

Founding of New Zealand ›

Founding of New Zealand

Europeans first laid eyes on Aotearoa (New Zealand) on 13 December 1642, when the great Dutch explorer Abel Tasman caught sight of the west coast of the South Island. The next Europeans to visit Aotearoa came under the stewardship of the famous English mariner, Captain James Cook, who visited the South Pacific in 1769.

The Treaty of Waitangi ›

The Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi marks an important piece of history and a time of an influx of Europeans to Auckland. It was not until after the Treaty of Waitangi was signed with Maori in 1840 that significant numbers of Europeans arrived in what is now modern day Auckland.