12th January 1770

[Sailing down the West Coast of North Island, New Zealand]

Gentle breezes from between the North-West and North-North-East; Fore and Middle part Clear Weather; the Latter part dark and Cloudy; steering along shore South by West and South-South-West at the distance of 4 Leagues off. At 7 p.m. saw the top of the Peaked Mountain to the Southward above the Clouds bearing from us South; at the same time the Southermost land we had in Sight bore South by West. Took several Azimuths both in the Evening and the Morning which gave the Variation 14 degrees 15 minutes Easterly. At Noon had the winds very Variable with dark cloudy weather attended with excessive heavy Showers of rain; at this time we were about 3 Leagues from the Shore which lies under the Peaked Mountain before mentioned. This Peak we did not see, it being hid in the Clouds, but judged it to bear about South-South-East, and some very remarkable peaked Islands, lying under the Shore, bore East-South-East, distant 3 or 4 Leagues.

Joseph Banks Journal

This morn we were abreast of the great hill but it was wrappd up in clouds and remaind so the whole day; it is probably very high as a part of its side which was for a moment seen was coverd with snow. The countrey beyond it appeard very pleasant and fertile, the sides of the hills sloping gradualy; with our glasses we could distinguish many white lumps in companies of 50 or 60 together which probably were either stones or tufts of grass but bore much the resemblance of flocks of sheep. At night a small fire which burnd about ½ an hour made us sure that there were inhabitants of whoom we had seen no signs since the 10th.

Sydney Parkinson Journal

The next morning, on the 12th, we approached nearer to it, but could not see the top of it, which was lost in the clouds. From this peak the land declined gradually to a point on each side, one ending in the sea, and the other stretching to the coast north of it, which was, in general, low and level, but covered with trees, as were also both sides of the peak. When we were abreast of it we had very heavy showers of rain, with thunder and lightening; and, at length, the peak itself was totally inveloped in darkness. In the night we saw a large fire. The point off this peak we called Cape Egmont.