LEARNZ Navigation from Kupe to Cook to Today podcast 2 of 3

The following questions from schools about Cook's voyages and navigation are answered by Brad, a hydrographic surveyor working on New Zealand's nautical charts.

Questions from Knights Stream School

1. How do you know where to find the Matariki stars?

2. How do you know where to go when the Matariki stars only come out one month in the year?

3. How did Matariki become a special time in New Zealand?

4. What tools did Captain Cook use to draw the map of New Zealand?

5. What happened if Polynesian navigators couldn't see the stars on the boat?

Questions from Ngatimoti School

1. What did Captain Cook and his crew eat?

2. How did Captain Cook navigate to New Zealand and home again? Did they use the stars?

3. How does a sextant work?

4. Why was Nick's head the body part they named Young Nick’s Head after? Did any other parts of New Zealand get named after someone?

5. What happened to the other people on Captain Cook’s ship when he died?

More questions from schools

1. Were goats and pigs really needed to be dropped off on islands for shipwrecked sailors?

2. Are there nine or seven Matariki stars?

3. Where did sailors like Captain Cook stop to get food/supplies for their trips?

4. How would sailors repair ships while at sea?

5. Do captains (today) still train to navigate using these older methods in case modern technology fails while they are out at sea?

6. Can only New Zealand see matariki or can other countries?

7. How did the sextant get it’s name?

8. Where did Captain Cook go to the toilet on the ship?

9. Who was the first to see Matariki? When was it first celebrated?

10. Did Captain Cook hunt whales while on the Endeavour?

11. Why is it important to know how Captain Cook navigated?

More from LEARNZ "Matariki and Navigation: Kupe, Cook and Today" at https://www.learnz.org.nz/location192/connect-with-experts