First European Contact Quiz (Grade 6)
Free printable multiple choice quiz for Grade 6 on the first European contact with Aotearoa New Zealand: Abel Tasman in 1642, James Cook's Endeavour in 1769, and Tupaia of Ra'iatea.
Grade 6 · History worksheet
Name
Date
History
First European Contact Quiz
Circle the correct answer for each question about the first meetings between Māori and Europeans.
- 1.After Golden Bay, Abel Tasman:
- a) Stayed for ten years
- b) Sailed away without ever landing in New Zealand
- c) Built the first European town
- d) Crossed the Southern Alps on foot
- 2.James Cook arrived in 1769 aboard the:
- a) Mayflower
- b) Endeavour
- c) Heemskerck
- d) Santa Maria
- 3.Tupaia, who sailed with Cook, could talk with Māori because:
- a) He had grown up in New Zealand
- b) His language from Ra'iatea was similar to te reo Māori
- c) Everyone spoke English
- d) He used a printed dictionary
- 4.The meeting in Golden Bay ended with:
- a) A feast to celebrate a new friendship
- b) A storm that sank both Dutch ships
- c) The signing of a treaty
- d) A violent misunderstanding in which four Dutch sailors were killed
- 5.The first European expedition known to sight New Zealand was led by:
- a) Ferdinand Magellan
- b) Christopher Columbus
- c) Abel Tasman
- d) James Cook
- 6.Tasman's ships reached New Zealand in:
- a) 1642
- b) 1492
- c) 1769
- d) 1840
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Accuracy and sources
These references support the historical wording and answer key on this worksheet.
- Te Ara: European discovery of New Zealand: Abel Tasman — dates Tasman's 1642 visit, the killing of four of his crew in Golden Bay, and his departure without landing
- NZ History: First known encounter between Māori and Europeans — describes the December 1642 encounter in Golden Bay as a fatal misunderstanding between two peoples
- Te Ara: European discovery of New Zealand: Cook's achievement — covers the Endeavour's 1769 arrival, the months spent charting the coastline, and the disproof of a great southern continent
- Te Ara: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography: Tupaia — documents Tupaia of Ra'iatea interpreting between Cook's crew and Māori because the languages were closely related