Story: European exploration When Europeans arrived in New
Zealand, most of the country was already known to Māori. Yet
throughout the 19th century, a number of European men set out on
journeys of exploration. Missionaries, gold miners, farmers,
scientists – many endured great hardship in their travels. They
discovered new routes, made maps and gave new names to the
landscape. Full story by Jock Phillips Main image: Exploring
party in the Wairarapa The Short Story A quick, easy summaryRead
the Full Story Exploring New Zealand When Europeans began
exploring New Zealand, Māori already knew most of the country.
Māori guides often helped the new explorers. Explorers found new
routes, made maps and named places. They showed great courage
and made some very difficult journeys. Missionaries often went
into unexplored areas, looking for Māori to convert to
Christianity. Samuel Marsden travelled around the northern North
Island between 1814 and 1820. Later, other missionaries went
further south, and saw Mts Ruapehu and