A joint commission from Psathas and New Zealand poet Robert Sullivan to mark the 50th anniversary of the Orpheus Choir of Wellington resulted in this major oratorio. The subject matter is Captain James Cook's 1769 voyage to the Southern Hemisphere, ostensibly to view the Transit of Venus but which also resulted in the European discovery of the islands of New Zealand. This voyage, and its resulting historical ramifications, are literally merged with the journey by the mythical figure of Orpheus to the Underworld.