He observed that the general prosperity of Tahiti seemed to be at a much higher point than on his former visit.
After another three weeks' stay at Huaheine, and Ulietea, also amongst old friends, the Resolution sailed on June 4th to the west.
Discovering Palmerston and Savage Islands on the way, she called at Namuka, one of the Friendly Group, thus extending the knowledge of those islands gained the year before.

Thence Cook sailed west, discovering Turtle Island, but just passing out of sight to the southward of the large Fiji Group, and thus lost the chance of adding them to his other finds.
He was now bound for the New Hebrides, of which the northern island had been discovered by Quiros.

Bougainville, the French explorer, had, in 1768, passed just south of Quiros' Island, and named one or two others he sighted, but had made no stay, and knew nothing of the extent of the Group.
This was not Cook's fashion.

He explored and circumnavigated the whole Group, which extends in a long line for three hundred and fifty miles.

He touched first at Mallicolo, where, after a temporary disagreement, friendship was formed.