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Story: Visitors’ opinions about New Zealand

Flax collected on Cook's first voyage, 1769

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Flax collected on Cook's first voyage, 1769

British explorer James Cook was keen to discover the possible commercial value of New Zealand's flora and fauna, and to aid in this task he brought with him two naturalists, Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander. They collected this specimen of Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax), which they quickly realised might be valuable for making rope.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: SP063873

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Visitors’ opinions about New Zealand – Early visitors, 1769–1860, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/37091/flax-collected-on-cooks-first-voyage-1769 (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 23 May 2012.