25th October 1769

[“Watering Place”, North Island, New Zealand]

Winds and weather as Yesterday. P.M. set up the Armourer's Forge to repair the Tiller braces, they being broke. By night we had got on board 12 Tons of Water and two or 3 Boats' loads of Wood, and this I looked upon to be a good day's work. The Natives gave us not the least disturbance, but brought us now and then different sorts of Fish out to the Ship and Watering place, which we purchased of them with Cloth, beads, etc.

Joseph Banks Journal

Went ashore this morn and renewd our searches for plants etc. with great success. In the mean time Tupia who staid with the waterers had much conversation with one of their preists; they seemd to agree very well in their notions of religion only Tupia was much more learned than the other and all his discourse was heard with much attention. He askd them in the course of his conversation with them many questions, among the rest whether or no they realy eat men which he was very loth to beleive; they answered in the affirmative saying that they eat the bodys only of those of their enemies who were killd in war.

Sydney Parkinson’s Journal

The natives, who are not very numerous in this part of the country, behaved very civil. to us: they are, in general, lean and tall, yet well shaped; have faces like Europeans; and, in general, the aquiline nose, with dark-coloured eyes, black hair, which is tied up on the crown of the head, and beards of a middling length. As to their tataowing, it is done very curiously in spiral and other figures; and, in many places, indented into their skins, which looks like carving; though, at a distance, it appears as if it had been only smeared with a black paint. This tataowing is peculiar to the principal men among them: servants and women content themselves with besmearing their faces with red paint or ochre; and, were it not for this nasty custom, would make no despicable appearance. Their cloth is white, and as glossy as silk, worked by hands, and wrought as even as if it had had been done in a loom, and is chiefly worn by the men, though it is made by the women, who also carry burdens, and do all the drudgery. Their cloathing consists in a girdle of platted grass, which they wear round their loins, having some leaves hung upon it, and a kind of grass-rug cloak thrown over their shoulders.

Many of the women, that we saw, had very good features, and not the savage countenance one might expect; their lips were, in general, stained of a blue colour, and several of them were scratched all over their faces as if it had been done with needles or pins. This, with a number of scars which, we saw on the bodies of the men, was done upon the decease of their relations. The men have their hair tied up, but the womens hangs down; nor do they wear feathers in it, but adorn it with leaves. They seem to be proud of their sex, and expect you should give them every thing they desire, because they are women; but they take care to grant no favors in return, being very different from the women in the islands who were so free with our men.