S1-E63: New Zealand: Merciless Coast

The Resolution returns to New Zealand in October 1774, greeted by the imposing silhouette of Mount Egmont and the wild beauty of Queen Charlotte Sound. Yet beneath this familiar landscape lies a growing tension—something has changed.

At first, the signs are subtle: abandoned traces of earlier visitors, missing messages, and Māori who hesitate to approach. Slowly, contact is reestablished through trade, led by the cautious but open chief Piteré. Fish, herbs, and conversation flow once more—but so do unsettling stories.

Rowe and his men at Grass Cove—cut off on the shore, overwhelmed by Māori warriors after a fatal clash that turned gathering herbs into slaughter. – Click on the image to listen to this episode on YouTube.

What emerges is a chilling account of cultural misunderstanding turned deadly. A stolen jacket, a musket fired in anger—and a chain of violence that ends in massacre and cannibalism. Through British and French experiences alike, the episode reveals how fragile these encounters truly were.

Caught between curiosity and fear, respect and retaliation, both Europeans and Māori navigate a world where a single misstep can have fatal consequences. And yet, even here, moments of humanity persist—reminding us that history is never only one thing.