21st November 1769

[At Firth of Thames, North Island, New Zealand]

After Landing as above-mention'd, we had not gone a hundred yards into the woods before we found a Tree that girted 19 feet 8 inches, 6 feet above the ground, and having a Quadrant with me, I found its length from the root to the first branch to be 89 feet; it was as Streight as an Arrow and Taper'd but very little in proportion to its length, so that I judged that there was 356 Solid feet of timber in this Tree, clear of the branches. We saw many others of the same sort, several of which were Taller than the one we measured, and all of them very stout; there were likewise many other sorts of very Stout Timber Trees, all of them wholy unknown to any of us. We brought away a few specimens, and at 3 o'Clock we embarqued in order to return (but not before we had named this river the Thames,* (* The flourishing town of Thames now stands at the eastern entrance of the river: population nearly 5000. Gold is found in the vicinity.) on account of its bearing some resemblance to that River in England) on board with the very first of the Ebb. In our return down the river, the inhabitants of the Village where we landed in going, seeing that we return'd by another Channell, put off in their Canoes and met us and Trafficked with us in the most friendly manner immaginable, until they had disposed of the few Trifles they had. The tide of Ebb just carried us out of the narrow part of the River into the Sea reach, as I may call it, where meeting with the flood and a Strong breeze at North-North-West obliged us to come to a Grapnel, and we did not reach the Ship until 7 o'Clock in the A.M. Intending to get under Sail at high water the Long boat was sent to take up the Kedge Anchor, but it blow'd so strong that she could not reach the Buoy, and the gale increasing soon obliged us to vear away more Cable and Strike Top Gallant Yards.

Joseph Banks Journal

Before daybreak we set out again. It still blew fresh with mizling rain and fog so that it was an hour after day before we got a sight of the ship. However we made shift to get on board by 7 tird enough, and lucky it was for us that we did, for before 9 it blew a fresh gale so that our boat could not have rowd ahead so that had we been out we must have either gone ashore or shelterd ourselves under it. Before evening however it moderated so that we got under way with the Ebb tide but did little or nothing.

Sydney Parkinson Journal

(...) with some difficulty, on account of the swell, they reached the ship again, and reported, that they had been a considerable way up a fresh-water river, at the end of the gulph, in which they found three fathoms water. It was about half a mile broad, and. would make an excellent harbour. Near the entrance of this river, which they named the Thames, there was a village, and a Hippa, or place of refuge, erected to defend it, which was surrounded by piquets that reached above water when the tide was up; and, at low-water, it was unapproachable on account of a soft deep mud. The inhabitants of the village behaved civil and obliging, and promised to bring some provisions to the ship; but, the weather proving unfavourable, they could not fulfil their engagement. On that day they also met with the large tree of which we had seen so many groves formed in different parts of the coast. This tree has a small narrow leaf, like a juniper's, and grows to the height of ninety feet, and is nine feet in girth. It is generally found in low land, and has a very dark-coloured appearance at a distance. The natives, it is thought, make their canoes of this tree. They also saw several young cabbage palm-trees, and a new species of Pardanus, or palm-nut. In the afternoon we weighed anchor, proceeded down the gulph with the tide, the wind blowing hard from N. N. W. and, toward night anchored pretty near the shore.