While Hongi Hika, pictured with missionary Thomas Kendall, visited England in 1820, he wasn't the first Māori to visit. Moehanga of Ngāpuhi was the first in 1806. Photo / National Library of NZ
While Hongi Hika, pictured with missionary Thomas Kendall, visited England in 1820, he wasn't the first Māori to visit. Moehanga of Ngāpuhi was the first in 1806. Photo / National Library of NZ
On Tuesday Kiwis acknowledged and celebrated an anniversary many might not know about - Moehanga Day - the day Māori "discovered" Great Britain.
On April 27, 1806, Moehanga of Ngāpuhi became the first recorded Māori visitor to England when the whaler Ferret berthed in London.
Moehanga (Te Mahanga) boarded the Ferret after it visited the Bay of Islands in 1805.
While Māori travelled as far as Tahiti and Australia in the 18th century, Moehanga was the first to reach the Northern Hemisphere.
Moehanga's journey has now become part of a quirky anniversary celebrated by Kiwis online poking fun at how Māori "discovered" the UK's "unsanitary" and "brutal society".
Deputy Labour leader and fellow Ngāpuhi man Kelvin Davis gave his nod to the quirky commemoration with politicians and historians eager to give fuller voice to Māori history and cultural identity.
"The day that Māori discovered England," he told AAP, chuckling, "It's got a great twist to it. I like it.
"This is all part of history that we should be talking about and celebrating. If it's celebrating some of our Ngāpuhi ancestors, then why not?"
It was a Facebook page detailing days in history that got social media buzzing with Moehanga Day celebrations.
The page posted a photo of an upside-down map of the UK, humorously detailing how Moehanga discovered a land of "slaves" and "warlike people".
On April 27, 1806, Moehanga was the first Māori to visit England. Photo / Facebook
And others have shared it since.
"#Onthisday in 1806 Great Britain was discovered by Moehanga. Of course, various indigenous, white-skinned tribes had already inhabited the British Isles for thousands of years, but Moehanga was the first Māori to discover Britain.
"The British natives were in awe of Moehanga's tattoos and they insisted he meet their chieftain King George III.
"When Moehanga arrived on the island he saw families living in primitive, damp and unsanitary conditions and a brutal society that punished almost any act of disobedience, from theft to living with Gypsies, with death.
"The Britons were a warlike people, renowned and feared for their prowess at fighting other European tribes and even raiding and conquering lands and taking slaves on distant continents.
"Today Britain is a thriving multi-cultural nation, producing a range of quality exports whilst preserving its rich heritage and traditions. Happy Moehanga Day!"
Moehanga's "discovery" of the UK is a play on how "white" explorers like Abel Tasman "discovered" or "found" Aotearoa in the 1600s despite Māori already living on the land.
Kiwis took to social media to join in the fun of Moehanga Day.
"They better made it a public holiday for us in celebration of them being discovered," one joked.
Another added: "Love this. So good. Not sure about their 'quality exports' though!"
While in the UK, Moehanga met with Earl Fitzwilliam and also (he claimed subsequently) King George III and Queen Charlotte, who apparently gave him tools and money, according to the New Zealand History Government website.
He took a keen interest in the sights and people of London.
Celebrated historian Tony Ballantyne, told AAP he was interested in music and culture but disliked London's rowdiness.
While Hongi Hika, pictured with missionary Thomas Kendall, visited England in 1820, he wasn't the first Māori to visit. Moehanga of Ngāpuhi was the first in 1806. Photo / National Library of NZ
He says he enjoys the sassy push to recognised Moehanga's discovery.
"It both marks the significance of a pioneering Māori traveller and also challenges us to think about the assumptions that often shape our historical narratives.
"All too often, it is still the case that Europeans are seen as the dynamic agents in history and indigenous peoples are reduced to be passive actors at the margin of the story."
After his trip to England, Moehanga set sail on the Ferret to Sydney and spent the summer in Australia before returning home to the Bay of Islands in 1807.
In 1820, Ngāpuhi chief Hongi Hika travelled to England to meet King George IV.
