The Middle Island

Sketch map of the South Island of New Zealand published to illustrate a paper by John Lort Stokes in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society.



Stokes served in the Royal Navy for almost 50 years, eventually reaching the rank of admiral. He is perhaps most famous as the assistant surveyor aboard HMS Beagle during which time he shared a cabin with Charles Darwin. In 1841 Stokes assumed command of the Beagle and was assigned with surveying the waters of Timor and New Zealand. In 1846 he was sent back to New Zealand aboard the steamship HMS Acheron to continue his survey of the coasts for a period of four years. Many of the charts produced by Stokes are still in use to this day, a testament to their accuracy.



The red line on the map illustrates an expedition undertaken by Capt. Mitchell and Mr. Dashwood from Nelson to Lyttelton in search of a new route across the interior of the island.



Original colour. [AUNZ2806]