Fiji

Cook's Second Voyage

Cook paused briefly at the islet of Vatoa, in the far southeast of the Fiji group on the 3 July 1774. This was his only contact with Fiji and was commemorated in a set from 1970, Cook's only appearance on a Fiji stamp. It was Bligh, sailing through the main islands after the mutiny on the Bounty and on his later return in the Providence, who is credited with the first accurate charts of the islands.

Fiji

18/08/1970

Explorers and Discoverers 4v The Dance portrait of Cook and HMS Endeavour are shown on the 3c stamp in this set. It also gives the date of 1774, which is when Cook briefly visited Fiji, however by that time he was sailing in the Resolution.

Kiribati

Byron's Voyage

In the account of his voyage, Byron gives the latitude of the island the ships encountered on the 2nd and 3rd July 1765 in the Gilbert Islands as 1' 18" S. The longitude he calculated was 173' 46" E, but as he had been about 8 degrees out when visiting Atafu, it is not very helpful. The description of the actual island doesn't help either. It was probably one of the following: Tabiteuea, Beru or Nikunau. Whichever island it was he named it after himself, Byron Island.

Cook's Third Voyage

Captain Cook discovered Kiritimati Island (Christmas Island) in the Line Islands in late 1777, shortly before discovering Hawaii. Whilst at the island the crew gathered Green Turtles for provisions. There has been a hotel on Kiritimati Island called the Cook Hotel. This was shown on an early Kiribati set.

The Gilbert Islands, as Kiribati was in those days, commemorated the event in 1977, with four stamps and a miniature sheet. In 1979 the last ever Gilbert Islands issue was with the Crown Agents 'Bicentenary of Captain Cook's Voyages' set. Since independence, he has turned up in passing on a couple of sets and was the subject of miniature sheet for the Australia 99 exhibition. More recently a set of Explorers and their Ships has featured both Byron and Cook, and in 2009 the Seafaring and Exploration set featured Cook.

Gilbert Islands	01/06/1977	Explorers 4v Commodore Byron and the Dolphin are shown on the 5c stamp.
Gilbert Islands	12/09/1977	Christmas and Bicentenary of Discovery of Christmas Island 4v & M/S(4v) The 8c stamp shows the Resolution and Discovery at Christmas Island. The 15c stamp shows an extract from Cook's journal. The 20c stamp shows Captain Cook off Christmas Island, and the 40c stamp shows Captain Cook landing on Christmas Island. The stamps are repeated in the miniature sheet. The border of the M/S shows the track of the Resolution during the third voyage.
Gilbert Islands	22/02/1979	Bicentenary of Captain Cook's Voyages 4v This set was part of the Crown Agents omnibus issue. The 10c stamp shows the Endeavour. It was of course in the Resolution that Cook visited Kiritimati Island. The 20c stamp shows a green turtle. The 25c stamp shows a quadrant and the 45c stamp shows the Flaxman/Wedgwood portrait of Cook.
Kiribati	19/11/1980	Development 5v The 10c stamp shows the Captain Cook Hotel on Christmas Island.
Kiribati	06/05/1981	Island Maps (1st series) 4v HMS Resolution is shown on the $1 stamp in this set, which features the map of Christmas Island.
Kiribati	30/07/1988	Bicentenary of Australian Settlement and Sydpex 88 2v, 2x1v & M/S(1v) The Dance portrait of Cook is shown on the 35c stamp over a map of the Pacific showing Kiribati and Australia. The 2 $1 stamps were issued in a se-tenant pair and show both sides of the Australian $10 stamp. This shows a ship from 1788 and Cook is featured on both stamps as the hologram in the banknote. The miniature sheet shows a modern container ship.
Kiribati	28/05/1993	Birds 2x4v Cook's Petrel is shown on one of the 23c stamps in this set.
Kiribati	02/12/1996	Nautical History (3rd series) 4v The top value $1 stamp shows the Dolphin in 1765.
Kiribati	19/03/1999	Australia 99 M/S M/S(1v) HMS Resolution at Christmas Island is shown on the $2 stamp in this miniature sheet.
Kiribati	25/03/2002	Explorers and their Ships 6v & M/S(1v) Commodore Byron and the Dolphin are shown on the $1 stamp. Captain Cook and the Resolution are shown on the $5 miniature sheet.
Kiribati	09/03/2009	Seafaring And Exploration 6v Captain Cook is featured on one of the 50c stamps.

Pitcairn Islands

Carteret's Voyage

Carteret and the Swallow came across Pitcairn's Island on 02/07/1767, which they named after the first person to sight it. The next sailors to find it were the mutineers from the Bounty in 1790.

Cook's First Voyage

Cook sailed very close to Pitcairn Island on his first voyage into the Pacific, shortly before sighting land in the Tuamotu Islands of French Polynesia. Pitcairn had been sighted by Carteret's expedition in the Swallow of 1767, but Cook did not know that because when Cook had left England, it was presumed the ship had been lost when separated from Wallis and the Dolphin.

Cook's Second Voyage

Cook searched for the island in August 1773, but again did not find it. Of course, if Carteret had had a chronometer with him to set his position by, it would all have been different. The Bounty's own chronometer is shown on three issues and is another story in its own right.

The Swallow has been shown on three stamps issued by the Pitcairn Islands, the first in 1967 to mark the 200th anniversary of its discovery. The Resolution is shown on one of the stamps issued to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Bligh's death. Bligh travelled on the third voyage with Cook, and navigated the ships back to England after the deaths of both captains Cook and Clerke. Bligh is featured on many Pitcairn stamps but I am only listing the one that deals with his time with Cook.

Pitcairn Islands	01/03/1967	Bicentenary of Discovery of Pitcairn Island 5v Carteret and the Swallow are shown on the 1/- stamp in this set.
Pitcairn Islands	14/08/1988	Ships 12v The Swallow is shown on the 5c stamp in this set.
Pitcairn Islands	07/12/1992	175th Anniversary of the Death of Bligh 4v The lowest value 20c stamp shows Bligh birthplace in Cornwall, against the backdrop of the Hodges painting of the Resolution. The stamp actually mentions that Bligh sailed with Cook during his third voyage. The other stamps relate to the Bounty and later events in his life.
Pitcairn Islands	28/03/1998	Millennium Part 1 4v The Swallow is shown on the 90c stamp in this set.

Solomon Islands

Carteret's Voyage

Carteret visited the Santa Cruz Islands but was unable to get the provisions they needed thanks to the reckless behaviour of the master provoking attacks from the natives. They had better luck when they came across the northern end of Malaita. They then sailed northwest and reached islands Carteret thought were Ontong Java. Actually he had sailed to the Bismark Archipelago off of Papua New Guinea. Carteret and the Swallow have been shown twice on Solomon Islands stamps.

Cook just missed the Solomon Islands. In July and August 1774, the Resolution spent six weeks charting the New Hebrides. Kendal's (Harrison's) chronometer is shown on one of the Ships and Navigators issues from the 70s. The Solomon Islands joined in the Crown Agents omnibus issue in 1979 and most recently issued a miniature sheet for the Australia 99 exhibition that showed the Endeavour.

There is a volcano in the Western Solomon Islands named after Cook. Its eruption in 1967 is shown on one of the set of Volcano stamps released in 1994, and its location is shown on a map of the volcanoes in the Solomon Islands on one of the $2 stamps in the miniature sheet.

The latest issue was in 2009 as part of a Seafaring and Exploration omnibus.

British Solomon Islands	01/03/1956	Definitives 14v The Swallow and its route through the Solomons are shown on the 1/- value in this set. This original printing was in slate and yellow-brown. A second printing in slate and orange-brown was also issued (13/06/1961).
British Solomon Islands	01/02/1972	Ships and Navigators (2nd series) 4v Carteret and the Swallow are shown on the 15c stamp in this set. The date given on the stamp is 1707, it should of course be 1767.
British Solomon Islands	09/03/1973	Ships and Navigators (3rd series) 4v Harrison's Chronometer is shown on the 9c stamp in this set along with an older ship's hourglass.
Solomon Islands	16/01/1979	Bicentenary of Captain Cook's Voyages 4v HMS Discovery is shown on the 8c stamp. The portrait of Captain Cook by Nathaniel Dance is shown on the 18c stamp. The 35c stamp shows a sextant, and the 45c stamp shows the Flaxman/Wedgwood medallion of Cook. (in common with the other sets in this series)
Solomon Islands	23/03/1981	200th Anniversary of Maurelle's Visit and Production of Bauche Chart 4v & M/s(4x1v) The miniature sheet shows the chart produced by Bauche of the Pacific after Cook's voyages. The four ordinary stamps deal with Maurelle.
Solomon Islands	24/10/1994	Volcanoes 4v & M/S(2v) Cook Island Volcano erupting in 1967 is shown on the 30c stamp. One of the $2 stamps in the M/S shows the location of Cook Island and other Solomon volcanoes.
Solomon Islands	19/03/1999	Australia 99 M/S(2x1v) HMS Endeavour is shown on the first of the $10 stamps in this little miniature sheet.
Solomon Islands	09/02/2009	Seafaring and Exploration 6v & M/S(1v) The $3 stamp in the set of six shows the Discovery.

Kingdom of Tonga

Wallis's Voyage

The Dolphin came across and landed on the two small islands of Niuatoputapu and Tafahi on 13/08/1767. Wallis named them Keppel and Boscawen's Islands.

Cook's Second Voyage

It was Captain Cook who gave these islands the name of the Friendly Islands. He visited them first in 1773 during his second voyage. He also visited them in 1774 during the second Pacific tour of that voyage.

Cook's Third Voyage

Cook spent May to July 1777 in Tonga during the third voyage. He had been making slow and unfruitful progress through the Hervey Islands, and headed for Tonga where he knew he would receive a friendly welcome and also be able to restock on supplies.

Tonga - The Friendly Islands	02/10/1973	Bicentenary of Captain Cook's Visit to Tonga 5v, 5v & 3v The five postage stamps in this free-form self-adhesive set (6s, 8s, 11s, 35s & 40s) show the excerpt from Cook's log where he gives the islands the name of the Friendly Islands. HMS Resolution is shown on the five airmail stamps (9s, 14s, 29s, 38s & 75s). The three official airmail stamps (25s, 80s & 1p50) show a medal of Cook and his two ships and a bulk carrier called the James Cook. These designs were adapted for use with two later sets (1974 & 1977) and also featured on two stamp-on-stamp sets. The first set was to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Tongan self-adhesive stamps (01/06/1979, 5 of 13v). The second celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Tongan stamps 27/08/1986, one of the eight 50s stamps in the miniature sheet.
Tonga	11/12/1974	Establishment of Royal Marine Institute 5v, 5v & 3v This free-form self-adhesive set adapts the designs from the Captain Cook issue of 1973. This time HMS Resolution is shown on the five postage stamps (5s, 10s, 25s, 50s & 75s). The five airmail stamps (9s, 14s, 17s, 60s & 90s) show the bulk carrier James Cook. The three official stamps are overprints on 'Silver Jubilee of Scouting' 15s postage stamp (30s & 35s) and 'Foundation of Bank of Tonga' 17s air stamp (80s).
Tonga - The Friendly Islands	28/09/1977	Bicentenary of Captain Cook's Last Voyage 5v, 5v & 3v This free-form self-adhesive set also adapted the designs that were used in the 1973 Cook set. The five postage stamps (10s, 17s, 25s, 30s & 40s) show HMS Resolution. The five airmail stamps (15s, 22s, 31s, 50s & 1p) show an extract from Cook's journal of his departure from Tonga plus a medal showing Cook and his two ships. The three official airmail stamps (20s, 55s on 20s & 85s on 20s) are new designs showing text. The two higher values are overprinted, as the original value was incorrect.
Tonga	22/02/1983	Sea and Air Transport 4v & M/S(1v) The lower value 29s and 32s both show a design of HMS Resolution and SS Canberra. The 29s stamp has a sage-green background, the 32s stamp has a buff background. The two other stamps and the miniature sheet show Montgolfier's balloon, Concorde and the Canberra again. The miniature sheet shows Cook and the Resolution on the border. His picture is also shown on the gutters of the 47s and T$1.50 stamps sheets. The 29s and 32s stamps were also given official overprints that were released at the same time as the normal set.
Tonga	12/03/1984	Navigators and Explorers of the Pacific (1) 4v The 47s stamp shows Wallis and the Dolphin. The Dance portrait of Cook and the Resolution are shown on the T$1.50 stamp in this set. The other stamps in this set show Tasman and Bligh.
Tonga	11/07/1988	Bicentenary of Australian Settlement M/S(12v) This miniature sheet with twelve 42s stamps shows the Dance portrait of Cook and his journal on the first stamp.
Tonga	20/10/1988	Centenary of Tonga-USA Treaty of Friendship 3v & M/S(3v) The Resolution is shown on the low value 42s stamp, whilst the 2p top value shows Cook and Columbus. The stamps are repeated in the miniature sheet..
Kingdom of Tonga	19/03/1999	Early Explorers 4v & M/S(1v) The Webber portrait of Cook is shown on the $2.50 stamp along with HMS Resolution in 1777. The miniature sheet features this stamp and shows Captain Cook meeting the Tu'i Tonga, sacred King of Tonga in 1777.

Tuvalu

None of our explorers ever make it to the Ellice Islands. Wallis appears to have sailed right through the group without sighting land once. Cook has been featured on several issues. The releases from 1987 and 1988 are not listed as official by the Tuvalu post office, but the 1988 set in particular is worth looking out for.

Tuvalu	14/02/1979	Death Bicentenary of Captain Cook 4v This set was issued as a strip of four. The 8c value shows the Dance portrait of Cook and one of his ships, and is titled 'Explorer of the Pacific'. The 30c stamp is titled 'a new island is discovered'. The 40c stamp shows 'Transit of Venus, Tahiti, 3 June, 1769' and the $1 stamp shows 'Death of Captain Cook, Hawaii, 14 February, 1779'. I believe that these stamps came from sheetlets containing three sets and a strip of labels. There are apparently also both a booklet containing 3 sets and the labels, and an imperforate special proof version of this set.
Tuvalu	02/12/1987	Australian Bicentenary and World Scout Jamboree 4v & M/S(1v) Captain Cook and HMS Endeavour are shown on the 60c stamp in this set.
Tuvalu	15/06/1988	Voyages of Captain Cook 6v & M/S(1v) HMS Endeavour is shown on the 20c stamp. The 40c stamp shows the stern of HMS Endeavour. The 50c stamp shows Cook preparing to land at Tahiti. The 60c value shows a Maori Chief. The 80c stamp shows HMS Resolution and a Hawaiian canoe. The $1 stamp shows the Nathaniel Dance portrait of Captain Cook. The $2.50 miniature sheet shows the Resolution in Antarctic waters.
Tuvalu	19/03/1999	Australia 99 4v & M/S(1v) HMS Endeavour is shown on the 50c stamp in this set.