Aiguade a L’Anse de L’Astrolabe. (Nouvelle Zelande.)

Rare, c.19th hand coloured lithograph of the French sailors from Dumont d’Urville’s ship the Astrolabe washing their clothes and relaxing by a stream flowing into Astrolabe Roadstead, Tasman Bay (now Watering Bay, part of the Abel Tasman track), near Nelson.

D’Urville had sailed from Port Jackson on 19.12.26 and sighted the south coast of New Zealand on 10^th January 1827 near the site of present day Greymouth. Although his instructions were to carry out a little charting in Cook Strait, D’Urville’s plan was much more ambitious – he was to chart at least half of the coast of New Zealand, thereby providing a clear challenge to the supposition that Cook’s survey had placed the islands firmly in the British Domain. He charted the islands during January to March of 1827 from just south of Cape Foulwind (west coast of the South Island), past Farewell Spit, into Golden and Tasman Bays, through Cook Strait, and up the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, from its southernmost to its northernmost point.

References:
Brosse, J. Great Voyages of Exploration. The Golden Age of Discovery in the Pacific. Sydney 1983: p. 152-154.
Kerr, J. The Dictionary of Australian Artists Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers to 1870 Melbourne 1992: p. 69.
Ferguson, JA Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976: 1341.
Hill, J. The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. San Diego 1974: 504.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1162263
State Library Victoria: Accession no: H90.20/2 (later colouring)
National Gallery Australia: 40974
Queensland Art Gallery: Accession No. 2007.196
National Gallery Victoria: Accession NumberP6-1975 (later colouring)
Te Papa Museum of New Zealand: RB000276/021a
Turnbull Library: B-052-003