[NEW ZEALAND] Cook Strait Anchorages. Sheet 1. Durville Island

Description

Extremely rare first issue of this hydrographic chart of D’urville Island to the Entrance of Queen Charlotte Sound. Surveyed by Captain J.L. Stokes, Commander B. Drury, and the Officers of H.M.S. Acherson and Pandora 1849-53.

The regular updating of hydrographic charts by the Hydrographic Office was to ensure that commanders of ships, pilots and other mariners were able to have the most to up to date information available to safely navigate foreign waters and ports as new information of changes to sea depths, sand bars, wrecks or other any other pertinent nautical information that could hinder passage became available. As updated charts were offered for sale, the earlier outdated charts in the hands of mariners, pilots, ships owners and sailors were invariably discarded, subsequently making all British Admiralty issued hydrographic charts of the period rare but the first issue much more so.