Following Cook's Route

Eight-year-old twins, John and James Guzzweil, are probably the best-informed children in New Zealand on the route taken by Captain Cook as he charted New Zealand two hundred years ago. The boys are accompanying their parents, John and Maureen Guzzweil, on the 45ft. masthead cutter, Treasurer, around the coastline of New Zealand. The family is following, as closely as possible, the route taken by Captain Cook. Accompanying Treasurer is another yacht, Arita, owned by Dick and Pat Mcllvide.

Together they left Opua, in the Bay of Islands on Boxing Day and followed Cook's route from the top of the Bay of Islands down the west coast of the North Island across Cook Strait and down the east coast of the South Island to Stewart Island. They are returning home; along the West Coast of the. South Island and the East Coast of the North Island - actually sailing a figures. During the voyage the yachts have navigated with the aid of Captain Cook's charts. Indeed, Cook's charts are the only ones available for the Dusky Sounds and John Guzzweil found them extremely accurate. During the South Island leg of the trip, the Treasurer sailed up Milford Sounds to become the fifth yacht in 15 years to have accomplished this feat. Tricky sailing conditions are nothing new to John Guzzweil. In Trekka, in a 20ft. keeler he built himself in England, John sailed single-handed around the world. Trekka was the smallest keeler to have made the trip.

When he finished the voyage in 1959 he wrote "Trekka Round the World". His present craft, a magnificent centre-cockpit cutter, he also built himself, again in England. He and his wife, a very inexperienced sailor, sailed Treasurer to the Bay of Islands where the family have been settled for three years. John and Dick Mcllvide are in business there as professional boat builders.

Our pix show Arita and Treasurer tied up in Nelson (Left) and the voyagers, John and James Guzzwell (twins), Bill Thompson (crew for Arita), Dick and Pat Mcllvide and Maureen and John Guzzweil, studying one of Cook's charts used on the trip (Above).