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Among the authors selected in this study, two distinct viewpoints present themselves
within this Germanic perspective: the scientific position of the scientist, explorer, naturalist and
ethnologist, and the non-scientific position of the immigrant and general traveller. While the
subjects in question may shift between these viewpoints, as the often broad subject matter
generally requires an overlapping of common themes and roles, discernible differences have
developed not only according to such factors as personal experiences, levels of interaction,
locations visited, length of stay and the time period, but also the respective backgrounds of the
authors (i.e. education, influences, attitudes, preconceptions), the type of text (i.e. scientific
monograph, general narrative, social commentary, immigration guide), and the target audience
(i.e. British-New Zealand readership, German readership, scientific community, general middle-
class readers). On a literary level, this meant there were at times significant differences in the
layout, presentation and content of the accounts. Contributions directed at a British-New Zealand
readership, for example, were either designed to educate the public or interested parties, if not
merely as English versions of German texts and published presentations of notable expeditions, or
else contained material relevant only to the English-speaking community and omitted content
which might prove too sensitive. German and Austrian readers, on the other hand, were, in many
respects, privy to more ‘uncensored’ accounts, including not only criticisms and critique, but also
patriotic sentiment and popular stereotypes. And although the most significant scientific
contributions did also appear in English, in most cases here, however, the primary accounts were
never translated. In spite of these differences, the views of German-speaking explorers and
travellers in general also followed similar contemporary mentalities in accordance with the
authors’ fields of knowledge, cultural traditions, shared sources and common influences. While
their general views may not always have been consistent with or representative of earlier
viewpoints, some were more reliant on others for specific images and information, when, for
example, a given field fell outside their expertise, such as science and history, when only standard
German works formed the main reading sources, and when established precedents were used as a
guideline to endorse or correct the latest scientific theories.
As early German representatives generally had to be handpicked as scientists and
naturalists on board foreign expeditions to reach the South Pacific in the eighteenth century, the
first emergence of the Germanic perspective of New Zealand and the Maori unsurprisingly had a
solid scientific foundation. In the latter half of the eighteenth century a heralded tradition of
German travel writing ensued to fill the void of colonial ownership. The literary conventions at
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