English: At daybreak on the morning of 29 January 1840, Captain William Hobson arrived the Bay of Islands to negotiate with Māori rangatira (chiefs) the ceding of sovereignty to the British Crown.

Due to there being no wind, the HMS Herald drifted with the tide until 11am, when it finally dropped anchor in front of the small town of Kororāreka. During this slow drift Hobson became anxious at the sight of a French flag on the hill-side opposite the town. Felton Mathew wrote that “the sight of this made our Governor look rather blue, for he begins to fear that the French may have anticipated us, and that perhaps L’Artemise is lying at anchor in the harbour. If it should prove so, Lord help us, for if it came to a squabble L’Artemise would sink us in a moment.” To the relief of Hobson, the flag was that of French Catholic missionaries.

Above is a detailed harbour map of the Bay of Islands, dated 1849. It shows the township of Kororāreka, the house of James Busby, the Paihia Mission Station of Henry Williams, and other landmarks from that time. This chart forms part of a bound collection of similar charts, created by survey vessels dispatched by the British Admiralty.

Zoom or download to enlarge.

Archives Reference: ADOE 16621 W676 Box 1/ 1F/ 1090 (detail) archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21488176

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Material supplied by Archives New Zealand

Caption information T.Lindsay Buick, ‘The Treaty of Waitangi’ and www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/waitangi-tribunal/Reports/h...