The colonial powers of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America considered it their role to bring what they saw as civilisation to the peoples of the Pacific. Missionaries flocked to the islands, eager to save souls. The South Seas was also a fabled region in 19th-century Europe. At a time when romantic notions of nature were popular, the Pacific was seen as an unspoiled paradise.
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Hocken Library, University of Otago, Godward Collection Maps
Permission of the Hocken Library Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. Further information may be obtained from the Library through its website.
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