Surfing Guinness Book of World Records recognized a wave ride by Garrett McNamara at Nazaré, Portugal as the largest wave ever surfed. For hundreds of years, surfing was a central part of ancient Polynesian culture. Surfing may have first been observed by British explorers at Tahiti in 1767. Samuel Wallis and the crew members of who were the first Britons to visit the island in June of that year. Another candidate is the botanist Joseph Banks being part of the first voyage of James Cook on , who arrived on Tahiti on 10 April 1769. Lieutenant James King was the first
John Blaxland (explorer) John Blaxland (explorer) John Blaxland (4 January 1769 – 5 August 1845) was a pioneer settler and explorer in Australia. Blaxland was born in Kent, the eldest son of gentleman farmer John Blaxland and Mary, "née" Parker, of Fordwich, Kent, England. He was the older brother of early Australian explorer Gregory Blaxland. His father died when he was eleven and the family moved to Canterbury where he and his brother were educated at The King's School. In 1887 he joined the army and rose to become a captain. He resigned his commission in 1792 and returned to manage the family