Sam Neill is following the voyages of Captain Cook – and his Maori forebears
Captain Cook’s Pacific with Sam Neill
James Rampton - 30 June 2020
It’s difficult to express what effect being at sea has on the soul,” says Sam Neill, speaking via Zoom from his home in Sydney. “I find it immensely calming. You can be out of sight of land and out of communication – your silly cellphone doesn’t work! I love those days.” The actor this week reaches New Zealand in his documentary series in which he’s retracing British explorer Captain James Cook’s three epic voyages across the Pacific, between 1768 and 1779. In the series he crosses vast expanses of ocean by boat, also visiting Tahiti, Australia, the Antarctic, Tonga, Canada and Alaska, unearthing the often disturbing history of Cook’s journey along the way.
The 72-year-old, who was born in Omagh, Tyrone, and moved to Christchurch in New Zealand aged seven, was captivated by what he found. “Because my family is part-Maori, I have a real affinity with Polynesian culture. The story of Polynesian exploration and achievement is fascinating. They were in the Pacific for thousands of years before Cook turned up.”
Having utilised a combination of vessels for his voyage – including a sailing boat, a rowing boat, a rigid inflatable, a pleasure cruiser, a replica of a ship from Cook’s era and a 260mlong container ship – Neill marvels at the advanced nature of the Polynesians’ nautical skills. “They sailed into unknown waters in canoes without the benefit of sextants or any of the other technology that Cook had. They were great navigators who meditated and willed themselves towards the islands.”
How so? “The navigator would sit in a trancelike state for weeks on end in the canoe, and no one was allowed to talk to him for the entire voyage. The navigators were incredibly knowledgeable people who understood all about currents, stars and birds. They didn’t see it as travelling towards somewhere; they regarded it as bringing the island to them. You can only see about ten miles from a canoe, and you’re looking
for an atoll whose highest point is a coconut palm. If you miss it, the next stop is Antarctica. Those navigators were astonishing.”
Captain Cook’s Pacific with Sam Neill is also highly topical at a time when British colonial history and the statues celebrating it are being re-evaluated. “I completely understand those impulses to tear down statuary. There is a very imposing statue of Cook near where I am in Sydney. It’s not so much the statue that gives me offence, it’s what’s inscribed underneath it: ‘[Captain Cook] Discovered this territory 1770.’ Of course, Cook didn’t actually discover anything. If you roll up to a beach and there are already people on it, it’s clear someone has discovered it before you!” Interestingly, since this interview took place, the statue has been defaced by protesters.
Neill reveals that several interviews with Polynesian people that he conducted for the series “brought me to tears”. He admits that he has mixed feelings about Cook, who was stabbed to death in 1779 by islanders on Hawaii after attempting to kidnap the king. “On a good day, Cook was extraordinary. On a bad day, bad s*** happened. There are, of course, things to be said in his favour. One of them was that he was so curious about people and the cultures he encountered. And let’s not forget what an incredible explorer he was and what service he gave to science. That impulse to explore – I completely get it. I can’t think of anything more exciting than exploring the Pacific in the 1760s and 70s.”
However, Neill also discovered “how much Cook is loathed in parts of the Pacific – I met people in Hawaii who say with pride that their forebear had eaten part of him [the alleged cannibalism of the islanders is disputed]. I understand the hostility towards him. It’s not what you do, it’s what you represent. Cook cops a lot because, for better or worse, he put the Pacific on the map. That led to everything that followed. Damage was really done in a lot of these places. You can’t completely blame Cook for that, but it started there.”
Neill’s next project is the film Jurassic World: Dominion. He’s been spending the lockdown in Sydney, where restrictions are gradually being eased. “We are emerging, blinking, into a different world. It’s difficult to know where we go from here. We’re sailing into uncharted waters.” What’s the first place he’d like to visit once lockdown is fully lifted? “The Pacific. I’m entranced by it, in the same way Cook was. It covers a third of the planet and has some of the most fascinating cultures to be found anywhere. I had a wonderful year making this, but there are still thousands of islands I have to see. It’s really exciting. But how much can you do in one lifetime?”
It’s difficult to express what effect being at sea has on the soul,” says Sam Neill, speaking via Zoom from his home in Sydney. “I find it immensely calming. You can be out of sight of land and out of communication – your silly cellphone doesn’t work! I love those days.” The actor this week reaches New Zealand in his documentary series in which he’s retracing British explorer Captain James Cook’s three epic voyages across the Pacific, between 1768 and 1779. In the series he crosses vast expanses of ocean by boat, also visiting Tahiti, Australia, the Antarctic, Tonga, Canada and Alaska, unearthing the often disturbing history of Cook’s journey along the way.
The 72-year-old, who was born in Omagh, Tyrone, and moved to Christchurch in New Zealand aged seven, was captivated by what he found. “Because my family is part-Maori, I have a real affinity with Polynesian culture. The story of Polynesian exploration and achievement is fascinating. They were in the Pacific for thousands of years before Cook turned up.”
Having utilised a combination of vessels for his voyage – including a sailing boat, a rowing boat, a rigid inflatable, a pleasure cruiser, a replica of a ship from Cook’s era and a 260mlong container ship – Neill marvels at the advanced nature of the Polynesians’ nautical skills. “They sailed into unknown waters in canoes without the benefit of sextants or any of the other technology that Cook had. They were great navigators who meditated and willed themselves towards the islands.”