Matavai Bay
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Matavai Bay is a bay on the north coast of
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...
, the largest island in the
Windward Windward () and leeward () are terms used to describe the direction of the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e. towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point of reference ...
group of French Polynesia. It is in the commune of Mahina, approximately 8 km east of the capital
Pape'ete Papeete ( Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivi ...
.


Early European voyages

The bay was visited by European voyages of discovery in the second half of the 18th century for wood, water and supplies. As late as 1802, Governor
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
of
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
considered Tahiti "the only island that needs little or no precaution for the safety of those who visit it".


Samuel Wallis

The first European known to have visited Tahiti was Lieutenant
Samuel Wallis Samuel Wallis (23 April 1728 – 21 January 1795 in London) was a British naval officer and explorer of the Pacific Ocean. He made the first recorded visit by a European navigator to Tahiti. Biography Wallis was born at Fenteroon Farm, n ...
, in , who landed on 17 June 1767 in Matavai Bay. The first contacts with the native Tahitians were difficult, since on the 24 and the 26 June 1767, canoes tried to take the ship and beach it. In retaliation, the English sailors opened fire on the canoes and on the crowds on the hills. In reaction to this powerful counter-attack, the inhabitants of the bay laid down offerings for the English, showing their wish for peace or to submit. Following this episode, Samuel Wallis was able to establish cordial relations with the female chieftain ''Oberea'' (
Purea Purea, Tevahine-'ai-roro-atua-i-Ahurai, also called ''Oborea'' (floruit 1769), was a queen from the Landward Teva tribe and a self-proclaimed ruler of all Tahiti. Queen Purea is known from the first famous European expeditions to Tahiti. She rule ...
) and remained on the island until 27 July 1767. Wallis named the bay Port Royal.


Bougainville

On 2 April 1768
Louis-Antoine de Bougainville Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville (, , ; 12 November 1729 – August 1811) was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of the British explorer James Cook, he took part in the Seven Years' War in North America and the American Revolution ...
, completing the first French circumnavigation in '' La Boudeuse'' and '' Étoile'', landed in Matavai Bay. He stayed about ten days on the island, which he called “Nouvelle-Cythère“, or "New Cythera", because of the warm welcome he had received and the sweetness of the Tahitian customs.


James Cook

A primary objective of James Cook's first voyage, in , was to observe the 1769 Transit of Venus from the South Pacific. Tahiti was chosen for the observations based on Wallis's recent discoveries. ''Endeavour's'' third lieutenant was John Gore, who had served as master's mate on ''Dolphin''. Cook anchored in the bay on 13 April 1769. A sandy spit on the northeast end of Matavai Bay – named
Point Venus Point Venus is a peninsula on the north coast of Tahiti, the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia. It is in the commune of Mahina, approximately 8 km east of the capital Pape'ete. It lies at the northeast end of Matav ...
by Cook – was chosen for the observatory. The location of the observatory would be known as "Fort Venus." Cook departed on 13 July 1769. Cook also visited Matavai Bay on 26 August-1 September 1773 and 22 April-14 May 1774 during his second voyage, and 23 August-29 September 1777 during his third voyage.


''Lady Penrhyn''

''
Lady Penrhyn ''Lady Penrhyn'' was built on the River Thames in 1786 as a slave ship. ''Lady Penrhyn'' was designed as a two-deck ship for use in the Atlantic slave trade, with a capacity of 275 slaves. She was part-owned by William Compton Sever, who serve ...
'' was a convict transport in the First Fleet. Following her arrival in
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, she was under contract to go to the "North West Coast of America to Trade for furrs & after that to proceed to China & barter the Furrs &ca for Teas or other such Goods..." She departed Sydney Cove on 5 May 1788 and sailed north with the intention of purchasing furs in
Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and west ...
for resale in China. The poor condition of the ship and sickness among her crew compelled ''Lady Penrhyn'' to stop in Matavai Bay in July 1788, where the crew recovered and the ship was repaired. John Watts, who was acting as
supercargo A supercargo (from Spanish ''sobrecargo'') is a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on the ship. The duties of a supercargo are defined by admiralty law and include managing the cargo owner's trade, selling the merchand ...
, had visited previously as a midshipman in on James Cook's third voyage. The voyage is documented in the published journals of Watts and surgeon
Arthur Bowes Smyth Arthur Bowes Smyth (23 August 175031 March 1790) was a naval surgeon, who traveled on ''Lady Penrhyn'' as a part of the First Fleet that established a penal colony in New South Wales. Smyth kept a diary and documented the natural history he enc ...
.


Bligh's first breadfruit voyage

In 1787,
William Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...
took command of ''Bounty'' on a mission to convey breadfruit from the South Pacific to the Caribbean. Bligh had served as sailing master of during Cook's third voyage. ''Bounty'' reached Tahiti on 26 October 1788, after ten months at sea. Bligh and his crew spent five months in Tahiti. They established a nursery at Point Venus, collecting and preparing 1015 breadfruit plants to be transported. Bligh allowed the crew to live ashore and care for the potted breadfruit plants, and they became socialized to the customs and culture of the Tahitians. ''Bounty'' departed with her breadfruit cargo on 4 April 1789. Part of the crew mutinied on 28 April 1789.


HMS ''Pandora''

, under Captain Edward Edwards, was sent from England to search for the ''Bounty'' and the mutineers. ''Pandora'' reached Tahiti on 23 March 1791 and recovered 14 crew members from ''Bounty''. On 8 May 1791 ''Pandora'' left Tahiti and subsequently spent three months in the South-West Pacific in search of the ''Bounty'' and the remaining mutineers, without finding any traces of her or them. ''Pandora'' was wrecked in
Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...
on the return voyage.


Vancouver

The
Vancouver Expedition The Vancouver Expedition (1791–1795) was a four-and-a-half-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy. The British expedition circumnavigated the globe and made contact with five continen ...
, in and , visited Matavai Bay in from 29 December 1791 to 24 January 24, 1792. George Vancouver had previously visited Matavai Bay on Cook's second and third expeditions.


Bligh's second breadfruit voyage

From 1791 to 1793 Bligh, in , in company with under
Nathaniel Portlock Nathaniel Portlock (c. 1748 – 12 September 1817) was a British ship's captain, maritime fur trader, and author. He entered the Royal Navy in 1772 as an able seaman, serving in . In 1776 he joined as master's mate and served on the third Pac ...
, undertook a second attempt to convey breadfruit to the West Indies. He arrived at Matavai Bay on 9 April 1792 and stayed for three months collecting the breadfruit plants.


London Missionary Society

''Duff'' landed missionaries from the
London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...
at Matavai Bay on 5 March 1797 to establish a mission at Point Venus.Hīroa, p 47


See also

*
First voyage of James Cook The first voyage of James Cook was a combined Royal Navy and Royal Society expedition to the south Pacific Ocean aboard HMS ''Endeavour'', from 1768 to 1771. It was the first of three Pacific voyages of which James Cook was the commander. The ...
* 1769 Transit of Venus observed from Tahiti *
Tautira Bay Tautira Bay (alternate: Cooks Anchorage) (lat 17°45' S, long. 149° 10' W) is located on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. It is part of the commune Taiarapu-Est Ta'iarapu-Est (literally "Tai'arapu East") is a commune of French Poly ...
, which Cook visited on his second and third voyages


Notes


References

* * * * *
Volume I
*; available a
La Trobe University
and at
HathiTrust
* *
(transcript)
* *

**''cf.'' {{Coord, 17, 30, S, 149, 30, W, type:waterbody_region:PF, display=title Bodies of water of Tahiti Bays of French Polynesia