SLJ Wk 1, Day 1, Act 2: Discovering Aotearoa

Activity 2: Discovering Aotearoa [4 points]

Many people believe that Kupe was the first explorer to discover Aotearoa, New Zealand in about 1300. He navigated his way by waka to Aotearoa from Hawaiki using traditional Polynesian navigation techniques - just like Nainoa Thompson (from Activity 1) did much later on. Legend says that he followed a great octopus all the way to Aotearoa/New Zealand and finally destroyed it in Cook Strait (the water between the North and South Islands).

Many years later, a Dutch explorer from The Netherlands, Abel Tasman, was exploring the Pacific Ocean when he came across New Zealand. He thought that he was the first person to ‘discover’ the country (despite the fact that Māori already lived in New Zealand!) and made the claim in 1642 that he had ‘discovered’ a new land. His exploration of New Zealand inspired many other European explorers to follow his lead and travel to the Oceania.

Kupe and Abel Tasman were two different men from two very different backgrounds (cultures) who shared a common interest - exploration.


Image Attribution: Kupe by Sid Mosdell is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Image Attribution: Portrait of Abel Tasman, Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp, Public Domain

For this activity we would like you to think about your own experiences and your own cultural background. Where does your family come from? Do they come from Europe like Abel Tasman, Polynesia like Kupe, or somewhere else?

On your blog, please tell us about your cultural background. Where do you and your family come from?

*Please remember that you need to be cybersmart in what you share online.

*Please check out the Eye-Catching Blog Posts page for ideas!