8th March 1770

[Off South Part of South Island, New Zealand]
Light Airs next to a Calm from South-South-East to North-East, with which we kept Steering to the South-West, but made but little way because of a swell which took us right ahead. At daylight A.M. we saw, or thought we saw, from the Masthead, the land which we have left to the Northward of us joined to that to the South-West of us; and at the same time we imagined we saw the land extend to the Southward as far as South-South-West; but after steering this Course until noon we discovered our Mistake, for there was no land to be seen to the Southward of West, which Course we now steer'd, being by observation in the Latitude of 47 degrees 12 minutes; Longitude made from Cape Saunders 2 degrees 2 minutes West.

Joseph Banks Journal
Little wind and fair, which carried us to the Southward far enough to ascertain that the appearance seen to the Southward in the eve of the 6th was nothing but clouds, tho from its fixd and steady appearance nobody at that time doubted in the least its being land.

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