The Voyage of the Resolution 1776-1780

Captain James Cook is widely regarded as one of the greatest European explorers of the Pacific. He created a vast historical and scientific legacy through his three voyages to the Pacific in 1768-1771, 1772-1775, and 1776-1780. Cook and his crews were the first Europeans to land in many Pacific countries, and they played a central role in gathering longitude measurements and accurately charting the Pacific. They were to create enduring resources for the study of botany, zoology and culture in the Pacific. Cook's third voyage to the Pacific on the Resolution was the culmination of a brilliant career, which was to end most tragically on the shores of Hawaii in 1779.

The primary mission of Cook's third voyage was to attempt to discover the long sought after Northwest Passage. It was hoped that the passage would facilitate a quick and efficient journey from England to eastern and southern Asia, one that would not entail the perilous trip around the Cape of Good Hope. The mission was to be combined with further explorations of the South Pacific.

Cook set sail aboard the Resolution in July 1776, visiting the Canary Islands on the way to Cape Town, where they were joined by the Discovery under the command of Charles Clerke. After a stop at Kerguelan Island and Tasmania, the expedition spent time in New Zealand and the Pacific. In 1778, they headed north to Hawaii, and the coast of North America, Canada, Alaska, and the Arctic. Cook returned to Hawaii in 1779, where he met his unfortunate and untimely end. The expedition, under Clerke's command, continued north on their search for the Northwest Passage, returning to England in 1780.

Materials relating to Cook's third voyage have been gathered by the Macmillan Brown Library because of their relevance to New Zealand and Pacific history. Some of the major events of the voyage included:

The Resolution in New Zealand and the Pacific During Cook’s third and final voyage, the Resolution again visited Queen Charlotte Sound in New Zealand, and continued on to explore various Pacific islands.

Cook's Death in Hawaii Although the voyage of the Resolution started out as a journey of discovery and exploration, Cook's voyage was destined to end tragically upon the shores of Kealakekua Bay in the Hawaiian Islands on February 14 1779.

A Voyage of Scientific Discovery Cook and his crew continued making charts and maps during their third Pacific voyage. They also gathered valuable scientific and ethnographic data.

Resources of Pacific Discovery in the age of the Resolution The Macmillan Brown Library has a great deal of resources relating to all of Cook’s voyages. A particularly prized possession is Banks’ Florilegium which contains, for the time, unparalleled biological data on the flora of the Pacific.