17 December

Ten crew from the <em>Adventure</em> killed

1773 Ten crew from the Adventure killed

At Wharehunga Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, 10 men serving on the ship accompanying James Cook's Resolution died at the hands of Ngāti Kuia and Rangitāne. Read more...
New Zealand’s Eiffel Tower opens

1889 New Zealand’s Eiffel Tower opens

Just 8½ months after Gustave Eiffel’s famous Paris tower was officially completed in March 1889, a wooden replica Eiffel Tower opened at the 1889–90 New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition in Dunedin. Read more...
Major Major, mascot of 19 Battalion, dies of sickness

1944 Major Major, mascot of 19 Battalion, dies of sickness

Major Major, No. 1 Dog, 2NZEF, a member/mascot of 19 Battalion since 1939, died of sickness in Italy. He was buried with full military honours at Rimini. Read more...