James Cook was a famous British explorer who discovered New Zealand and surveyed and mapped features and coastlines, especially the Pacific Ocean in great detail and on a scale hitherto not achieved. His adventures on his ship, the ‘HMS Endeavor’, and his discoveries have steered generations of voyagers, explorers, and cartographers. Born in the Scottish countryside, Cook began his tryst with the ‘unknown’ when he started off as the Captain of the Royal Navy and took command of the first scientific manned expedition to the Pacific. He returned victorious, discovering New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia; the two places still considered some of the most dangerous areas ever navigated by a human. Since then, he undertook a number of expeditions; from Antarctica to New South Wales and present-day Tonga to the legendary continent, ‘Terra Australis’. Cook was a man of perseverance and was responsible for not just pushing himself into the unknown but a horde of others, who dived into the depths of the indefinite along with him. However, he was scoffed by many for his hygiene measures and the stringent diet that his men had to follow in order to avert the deadly gum disease; scurvy. His coastal charting is still considered one of the most advanced of his time and has helped in many present-day discoveries. If you would like to learn more interesting information about Captain James Cook, scroll further.