What were james cook's official and secret orders

James Cook, the captain of Endeavor that was commissioned by the British Admiralty, had given secret orders to find the Southern Continent or what we know now as Australia. The voyage was commissioned to find the southern continent but was disguised as an expedition to visit and study Tahiti.

He was met with a lot of unfortunate events especially in dealing with the inhabitants of the islands he visited and the weather conditions he and his men wasn't prepared to face. However, in the end, he was able to find New Holland or what we call now as Australia successfully.