William Colenso was a missionary, a printer, an explorer and perhaps one of New Zealand’s most important botanists. In 1834, at 21 years of age, he travelled to New Zealand from England to serve as printer for the Church Missionary Society. He became fluent in Maori, schooling other missionaries about the language and printing Māori translations of the bible. Though he was well aware Europeans … Continue reading William Colenso
Developing The Theory When Darwin returned from his voyage on the HMS Beagle he became an instant scientific celebrity, with his various collections of rocks, fossils and zoological specimens earning him acceptance into the scientific establishment. He began writing papers, mainly on geological topics, and conversing with leading scientists of the day. As Darwin published accounts of his voyages and analyses of his various finds, he began … Continue reading Charles Darwin – Part 2
When Charles Darwin arrived in New Zealand in December of 1835, he was near the end of his legendary round-the-world voyage aboard the HMS Beagle. The trip turned out to be monumentally important; not only for Darwin who described it as “by far the most important event in my life, and has determined my whole career”, but also for the world as it provided him … Continue reading Charles Darwin – Part 1
