C1800 Early Māori and European contact

A pattern of contact was established between Māori and early whalers and sealers. Europeans (or Pākehā) numbered barely a handful in any one place, and they often lived as guests of the estimated 100,000 Māori in their distinct and independent tribal regions. Early interaction with ships visiting to trade or take trees (for ships' spars) sometimes led to misunderstandings and violence. Crewmen sometimes broke local tapu or mistreated Māori, and occasionally openly plundered, for which Māori sought utu (satisfaction) by attacking the ships. This occurred with the Fancy in 1795, and the Royal Admiral in 1801, the Elizabeth, the Seringapatam and the Parramatta in 1808 and culminated with Her Majesty's Transport the Boyd in Whangaroa in 1809, where the ship was attacked and burnt. The subsequent massive retaliation, however, fell on the wrong village.