In December 1817 a crew of prospective settlers dropped anchor in Otago Harbour on New Zealand’s South Island and went ashore. At some point, an altercation occurred with the local Maori and the men were viciously attacked. The exact reason for the skirmish is subject of much debate. One account claims a member of the group had stolen a preserved head on a previous visit. Another reports the foreigners had mistreated local women. A third theory supposes the attack may have just been revenge for previous killings of Maori by Europeans, which were common at the time. Whatever the reason, three of the ship’s crew were killed and subsequently eaten, prompting the remaining would-be settlers to go on a rampage, murdering large numbers of Maori including a village chief, destroying canoes and setting fire to a town.
⁠ ⁠ In light of the fracas, the location in the photo was dubbed ‘Murdering Bay’, a name it retained for over a century until, in 1998, its original Maori moniker of ‘Whareakeake’ was restored. ⁠