Monday, October 11, 2010

Cape Kidnappers

"The land on the Sea-Coast is high with steep cliffs, and back inland are very high mountains...the face of the Country is of a hilly surface and appears to be cloathed with wood and Verdure."Captain Cook wrote this in his journal on 8 October 1769, seven days before he landed at Cape Kidnappers.Of course, it wasn't Cape Kidnappers then. When he first sailed into the area, he named the general area Hawke's Bay after Sir Edward Hawke, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Cape Kidnappers got its name when one of Cook's crew members named Tiata was in the water near the Endeavor. Suddenly a Maori fishing boat came alongside and scooped Tiata up, but Cook's crew immediately opened fire on the Maori craft. Tiata jumped out of their boat and swam back to the Endeavor, but the attempted kidnapping prompted Cook to give the headland of the southeastern end of Hawke's Bay the name of Cape Kidnappers.Cape Kidnappers is home to a Gannet reserve. These birds have inflatable air sacs in their necks and breasts, which act as shock absorbers when they dive into the water. Sheep also wander the bay area, including the golf course.
It looks so pristine,so inviting.Want to go for a walk?

2 comments:

  1. YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! That is EXACTLY where I need my winter home! Wow. Beautiful. I love the way the sun hits the rocks - it's hard to imagine that the sun ever sets in such a place. sigh. I'm packing my bags now...

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  2. Very pretty. I'm sure you could use a vacation right now, eh?

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