Kidnapping of Kalaniʻōpuʻu by Captain James Cook Kidnapping of Kalaniʻōpuʻu by Captain James Cook Captain James Cook's 1779 attempted kidnapping of Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ruling chief of the island of Hawaii and the decision to hold him in exchange for a stolen long boat (lifeboat) was the fatal error of Cook's final voyage, ultimately leading to Cook's death. Cook's arrival in Hawaii was followed by mass migrations of Europeans and Americans to the islands that ended with the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, the aboriginal monarchy of the islands. James Cook led three separate voyages to chart unknown areas of the globe for the British Empire. It
Captain Cook Memorial Museum artefacts from the Pacific islands and New Zealand, original maps and charts, and ship models. In 2009 a local newspaper reported that "Matavai Bay Otaheite", a painting by William Hodges from the 1770s, was bought by the museum with help from several charities and trusts including The Art Fund. The painting depicts Matavai Bay, Tahiti which Cook visited on his second voyage Welcome to Yorkshire (formally the Yorkshire Tourist Board) gave the museum a White Rose Award in 2005 and 2012 and it was a winner of a VisitEngland Gold Award for Excellence in 2013. Captain Cook Memorial Museum Captain