| Summary: | Description: A rough-hewn block of granite bearing a metal plaque mounted on a square concrete base. Additional Information: James Cook (1728-79) joined the merchant navy in 1746 and the Royal Navy in 1755. In 1768 he commanded his first expedition to the South Pacific to witness the transit of Venus in the course of which he charted the coasts of New Zealand and made a detailed survey of the eastern coast of Australia. Four years later he made a second voyage to the South Pacific on which he did not achieve his central goal, that of discovering the southern continent, but did discover a number of islands. In 1776 he set off on a third voyage, this time in the hope of finding the North West Passage from the Pacific end. He succeeeded in making a survey of much of the north American and Siberian coasts. However, in 1779 the expedition was cut short when he was tragically killed in a scuffle with islanders on the beach at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii.
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