His Majesty’s Bark Endeavour departed from Plymouth, England, on 25 August 1768 commanded by Lieutenant James Cook. He was accompanied by a small group of natural philosophers and artists led by the young Joseph Banks. Few knew that on their return almost three years later they would become the most famous people in the land and that the Endeavour voyage would be celebrated as one of the greatest journeys ever made, and certainly the first truly scientific expedition ever undertaken.

When the Endeavour set sail it carried 94 people including officers and seamen, Gentlemen and their servants. It also carried 18 months provisions, carriage guns and a good store of ammunition. After 18 days sailing Endeavour reached Madeira, here horses and guides were provided for Banks and Daniel Solander to explore the island. They collected 329 species of plants and over 200 arthropod specimens, these were to keep the naturalists and artists busy on the long leg of the journey south, they crossed the equator on the 25^th October and headed for South America.

Then came a period of intense frustration for Banks in the Harbour of Rio de Janeiro which they reached on the 13^th November. The Portuguese Viceroy, Rolim Antonio de Moura refused to let Banks and Solander land and carry out any collecting and placed the boat under armed guard. Banks not deterred managed to get his two servant boys Peter Briscoe and James Roberts ashore for two collecting trips during which they collected good crops of Plants and Insects.

The voyage then continued South until they eventually reaching Tierra del Fuego the southern tip of South America. Sadly, it was here that the first deaths occurred. During an expedition inland a storm struck, and the party were separated. Two servant boys were found the next day, they had died of exposure. Eventually rounding Cape Horn Endeavour headed towards Tahiti.

They arrived at Tahiti in April 1769 and in June they observed and recorded the transit of Venus. Banks noted in detail the lifestyle of the Tahitians and his observations reveal that he watched them with a remarkably uncritical eye. Rather than applying European standards on their behaviour, he accepted their very different circumstances. He commented that their life was free from pressure. Food was abundant and the climate was temperate, therefore there was no necessity to work to a seasonal clock requiring ploughing, sowing and reaping. This left time to pursue pleasurable activities which the Tahitians enjoyed to the full. Their task complete, Cook and Banks under orders from the Admiralty and the Royal Society pointed Endeavour towards the vast Pacific Ocean to seek the elusive southern continent. Also on board was Tupiea’ a Tahitian priest and navigator who would help them to navigate across the Pacific.

Eventually they arrived in today’s New Zealand, at Tuuranga-Nui which was the Māori name for the area. Cook later called it Poverty Bay, and its major city today is called Gisborne. Almost immediately there were problems. Western writers describe how Cook and Banks, together with a party of British marines, went ashore seeking fresh water and supplies. Suddenly a group of Māori threatened them, and the British fired musket shots. This resulted in the death of a Māori who was apparently a chief. Over the next few days, a total of nine Māori were killed.

Joseph Banks was haunted by what happened at Tuuranga-Nui, writing about

the incident in his journal for that day:
“Thus, ended the most disagreeable day My life has yet seen, black be the mark for it and heavan [sic] send that such may never return to embitter future reflection.”

(HB  Carter – Sir Joseph Banks)

Despite this they carried out a circumnavigation of New Zealand and Banks and his party collected large quantities of plants and natural science objects.

Carrying on to Australia, once again they encountered natives. The Aboriginals were less aggressive than the Māori nevertheless Cook followed the coastline until they reached a quiet bay. Here they landed and Banks and his colleagues set to work adding to their collection while the ship was repaired and food stocks replenished. In recognition of Joseph Banks efforts. the area was named Botany Bay.

Endeavor was nearly lost on a reef and had to be hauled ashore up a river now called Endeavour River after lengthy repairs and much botanising by Banks the journey continued.

Having achieved their goal, the return journey commenced, and they arrived in Cape Town in March 1771, but the journey was taking its toll. At one time only twenty sailors were fit enough to run the ship while the remainder were incapacitated by fever, thirty people died, one of whom was the artist, Sydney Parkinson.

Eventually on the 12th of June 1771 after 3 years at sea the Endeavour docked at Deal in England.

The Endeavour voyage was a triumph in the geographical and natural scientific sense. Banks and his assistants had collected some 30,000 botanical specimens, including 110 new genera and 1,400 new species. Among the zoological collections were over 1,000 animal specimens, famously including the kangaroo. Linnaeus, the world’s foremost botanist at the time, suggested that New South Wales should be named Banksia. These were the first collections from the South Pacific to be seen in Britain. The public interest was great. On their return it was Banks, the gentleman, who were feted, Captain Cook barely receiving a mention in the newspapers. Cook’s many biographers portray Banks as being happy enough to play the ‘dashing hero’ in the salons and great houses of England and accuse him of being an ‘unashamed’ publicity-seeker.

Banks was formally received by George III and Queen Charlotte. Subsequently Banks became a close friend of the king. They shared such interests as the rearing of merino sheep and the development of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.

Although future expeditions were to come it was this voyage that provided Banks with the fame and credibility to eventually become one of the most significant people of the period.