Doubtless Bay is a bay on the Karikari Peninsula in the Far North of the North Ireland was charted by Captain Cook on his scientific expedition on board the Endeavour in 1769.
Unknown to Cook a French vessel the St. Jean Baptise commanded by Jean-Francois Marie de Surville was on a secret mission in the same area. He arrived in Doubtless Bay on 17 December 1789.
De Surville named the bay La Baie de Lauriston (Lauriston Bay) for the Governor of Pondicherry and one his financiers Law de Lauriston.
Martins, K. (2022, June 07). The French Exploration of New Zealand. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2006/the-french-exploration-of-new-zealand/