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Registration Type
Historic Place Category 2
Register Number
1860
Date Registered
26-Nov-1981
Legal Description
Sec 1221 Town of Christchurch (CT CB29F/301), Canterbury Land District
City/District Council
Christchurch City
Region
Canterbury Region
Summary
This statue of Captain James Cook (1728-1779) was presented to Christchurch by a bookmaker, Matthew Frank Barnett. It was sculpted by William Thomas Trethewey (1892-1956), a monumental mason by trade, who also sculpted the Citizens War Memorial in Cathedral Square. Born in Christchurch, Trethewey was largely self-taught, although he did study wood carving under Frederick Gurnsey, the noted Christchurch carver, and life modelling for a year in Wellington. He won the commission for the statue of Cook in 1928.
Trethewey carved the statue of Cook from a twelve-tonne block of imported marble. It is an over-lifesize portrait in a heroic pose. The statue was officially unveiled by Lord Bledisloe, the Governor-General, on 10 August 1932. The inscription states: 'James Cook/Captain Royal Navy/Circumnavigator who first hoisted the British flag in New Zealand and explored her seas and coasts/1769-70 1773-4 1777/Oceani Investigator Acerrimus'
Cook made three voyages to New Zealand (in 1769, 1773 and 1776-1777), and was the first European to map the outline of the country. His charts served subsequent navigators for years to come and his voyages are still remembered in the names he gave to many natural features around the coast of New Zealand. To previous generations of Pakeha Cook has been seen as the 'true' founder of New Zealand, the Englishman who discovered the islands and thus made them available for colonisation by the British. As James Belich said, 'Cook was the first of a Pakeha pantheon of deified ancestors'. Such a portrayal of him led to the creation of numerous memorials built in his honour throughout New Zealand. Current opinion about Cook, however, ranges from his continued deification to a view of him as an agent of colonisation.
This statue is significant as an example of Trethewey's work, as one of the many monuments around New Zealand dedicated to Cook and as one of the landmarks of Victoria Square.
Construction Professionals
Construction Dates
- Original Construction: 1929 (circa) - 1932 (circa)
- Relocation: 1989 (circa)
Other Information
In 1932, Matthew Barnett donated the statue of Captain Cook to the city, which stands in Victoria Square. He resided in 'Wharetiki', an eclectic Queen Anne style building located at 854 Colombo Street, Christchurch (also registered - 7551).
Report Written By
Melanie Lovell-Smith
Report Completed
4-Dec-2001
Information on
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