These voyages were not matters of technicality - but rather endeavors of spirituality. The navigators called on sea, star and wind gods for guidance.
A sixteen point compass was used - relating to a series of domes around the ocean, and swells (i.e. the pattern of waves hitting the sides of canoes) were named to help with location during the journey & to maintain bearings.
During the day, the sun could be followed, and at night, a star path - a linear constellation that rose and set during the night on the bearing of the island destination. Land marks would also be lined up, to help maintain bearings.
Islands would be located by the rooting of birds, and watching them fly home at sunset. There are also characteristic cloud formations around islands. Sometimes the islands would cause flowing(?) in the surrounding waters.
(All of this information would be memorized and passed on).
Joseph Banks was a wealthy young navigator on the Endeavor. His journals held many key descriptions of indigenous Maori life. It was in many ways more similar to Pacific Island culture than the contemporary culture we now know.
Through his journals, and the conversations between Tupa'ia and the local Maori, life was captured as the Europeans began arriving.
Poverty Bay (Turanga-nui), the north shore of which the Gisborne is located, was where land was first sighted. Some of the indigenous people thought the Endeavor was a floating island (that the sails were clouds) - suggesting that this may have been a frequent occurrence in Polynesian lore. Some thought that it was a giant bird and the sail boats were its fledglings.
The sailors landed on the Eastern bank of the river. Upon landing, the first initiative was to go looking for flora/fauna. They first explored Te Wai-o-Hiharore (the west bank of the Turanga-nui river).
Te Wai-o-Hiharore was a haven/sanctuary where people would fish, stay etc. without fear of being attacked. The voyagers found two fishing hamlets, a pumice god (was taken, but nails and trinkets were left in exchange), an old net and an earthen oven.
From here, they ventured ~1k inland, leaving two young boys in charge of the boat. Four warriors with spears came along, They weren't there to attack (if they had been, there would have been more people). The boys jumped in the boat and sped back to the ship. The cook on board noticed this, and shot a warrior through the heart as he raised his arm to throw a spear.
When the voyagers came to land a second time, they brought Tupa'ia. They were met by a group of ~150 warriors who performed an infuriated haka. In response, the voyagers fired their muskets into the water. This, along with the uniforms of the voyagers, and the weapons being so alien caused fear and the haka to stop.
Negotiations across the river took place.
One brave warrior swum to to te toka-a-taiau (a mid place), but would advance no further. Cook swum to him, conducted a hongi, and gave him some trinklets etc. This way, a friendship, and an alliance was formed. The warriors then boarded the Endeavor.
On board, the Maori tried to swap their hapu for muskets. Feeling threatened, the voyagers wielding the muskets fired more shots, killing some of the Maori warriors.
The attempts to make peace involved attempting to capture some fishing canoes - which resulted in more shootings and deaths. In this processes, however, three Maori boys were captured. Tupa'ia looked after them, and they became very friendly. He asked about their gods, and the boys performed a haka for the voyagers.
The voyagers returned to land the following day and a sort of peace was established.
Both the Maori and the European were from fighting cultures, believing in the intrinsic right to defend ones territory.
Turanga-nui was a rich area, well populated with vast gardens on inland flats, with large Pa on the bends of inland rivers. It was called "Poverty Bay" as the voyagers only ventured ~1km inland, and failed to find any food.
Cannibalism was practiced here, and the warriors wore moko.
In 1996, an Endeavor replica (manned by an Australian crew) followed the voyage of the original Endeavor ship. However, there is still a lot of anger over the shootings that took place in Turanga-nui, and the replica was met with many fiery challenges. This history isn't of the past - it is still very much alive today.
After Turanga-nui, the Endeavor sailed to Anaura Bay (also on the East Coast). When the Endeavor anchored, two chiefly men came on board and refused to eat anything (as they were in a state of tapu). They were adorned with red feathers, clad in dog-skin cloaks, and one had an arm-bone earing.
The people here gave the voyagers a very peaceful welcome. There didn't appear to be any fortified villages (or the fortified villages noted were ruins only).
There was 60 hectares of kumura, yam and taro laid out in a checkerboard fashion - meticulous and tidy. Dried grass was kept around the bases of the crops. There were a couple of aute plants (not really of any use, but are instead prized ancestorial possessions).
The crops were maintained by ~150 people. Surplus was probably used for export.
With regards to Uawa (Tolaga Bay), no one really knows how it got this name. Carving and moko were the main pre-occupations of the men at Uawa. Here, the leaders were extremely aristrocratic. There was a famous carving school, and a school of learning. The women wore fine cloaks and the community was in a state of peace. It was a very affluent and peaceful society.
Here, a carving of an ancestor was given to Tupa'ia.
