The 30th of April is Moehanga Day. What's that you ask? It's the anniversary celebrating the "discovery" of Great Britain by New Zealand's Māori people. The story begins in 1805 when a man named Moehanga, also known as Te Mahanga, from the Ngāpuhi tribe (Northland region of New Zealand) boarded a whaling ship and headed to London. While Māori had already travelled as far as Tahiti and Australia in the 18th century, Moehanga was the first to reach the Northern Hemisphere. The whaler, the Ferret, reached Great Britain on 27 April 1806 and Moehanga, upon setting foot on land, became the first Māori explorer to reach England.
During his stay in London, Moehanga met King George III and Queen Charlotte and was interested in learning more about England's power and culture, but disliked the rowdiness of London. On his return to New Zealand, sailing back on the "Ferret" again, he stopped off in Sydney for summer and finally reached his home in the Bay of Islands in March of 1807. New Zealand became a British colony 33 years after Moehanga's voyage. The celebrated historian Tony Ballantyne, says of Moehanga Day: "It both marks the significance of a pioneering Māori traveller and also challenges us to think about the assumptions that often shape our historical narratives". Happy Moehanga Day!
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