As a kiwi I was somewhat shocked to find that I'm related to this guy:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois-Marie_de_Surville
He was apparently sailing about NZ at the same time as Captain James Cook. His ship the Saint Jean-Baptiste was damaged in a storm and he stopped in for water and supplies at Tokerau, Doubtless Bay.
After initial friendly proceedings, my relative kidnapped Ranganui, a Ngati Kahu chief, for keeping a dinghy that had washed ashore from the ship. Sadly, Ranginui was never returned to his people, dying of scurvy on the ship a few months later. He is remembered by local iwi in a waiata , also a marae bearing his name.
Surprisingly, Surville is remembered with a plaque near Tokerau, placed by NZ Historic places trust in 1969. He later drowned near the coast of Peru, leaving a wife, 2 sons and a daughter. We only learned of our connection to him recently.
If I could turn back time I would shout at uncle Surville - Hey mate, that's not cool. Sling your hook. Seriously mate, not OK.
Jean-François-Marie de Surville was the brother of my 6x great-grandmother Therese Jeanne de Surville born 1711 in Port Louis, Brittany, France.
Update 2020: In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement around the world and news of the removal of statues, I was pleased to hear that in Tokerau the Surville plaque has been removed by Ngati Kahu.
ODT recent: https://www.odt.co.nz/news/
It's good that recent denouncing of past racism, slavery and colonial arrogance has led to public discussion and added momentum to more accurately balance the historical record. The brief wording on the Surville plaque gave no indication to the dreadful events that took place there.
I wrote to an iwi representative, also to a couple of Surville researchers, to express my embarrassment at being related to him.
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