Abel Janszoon Tasman (1603 - 10 October 1659) was a
Dutch seafarer,
explorer, and
merchant.
Tasman is best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC (
United East India Company). His was the first known European
expedition to reach the islands of
Van Diemen's Land (now
Tasmania) and
New Zealand and to sight the
Fiji islands, which he did in 1643. Tasman, his navigator Visscher, and his Merchant Gilsemans also mapped substantial portions of
Australia, New Zealand and the
Pacific Islands.
First pacific voyage
In 1634 Tasman was sent as second in command of an exploring expedition in the north Pacific. His fleet included the ships
Heemskerck and
Zeehaen. After many hardships , where he made a friendly trading treaty with the Sultan. In August 1642 Tasman was sent in command of an expedition for the discovery of the "Unknown Southland and Eastland", which was believed to be in the south Pacific but which had not been seen by Europeans. Strange as it may seem to us today, Tasman sailed first to
Mauritius. The reason for this was that his ships were sailing ships and the best route from one place to another was not always the direct route; of more importance was the direction of the wind. Tasman had some knowledge of the prevailing winds and so he chose Mauritius as a turning point and from there a course was set towards what was presumed to be the southern mainland of Australia. (At least part of the western shore of the continent was already known to the Dutch, but the shape of the southern coast was unknown).
thumb|240px|right|Murderers' Bay, 1642 Tasmania
On the 24th November 1642 Abel Tasman sighted the west coast of Tasmania, north of Macquarie Harbour. He named his discovery Van Diemen's Land after Anthony van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. Proceeding south he skirted the southern end of Tasmania and turned north-east, Tasman then tried to work his two ships into
Adventure Bay on the east coast of
South Bruny Island where he was blown out to sea by a storm, this area he named
Storm Bay. Two days later Tasman anchored to the North of Cape Frederick Hendrick just North of the
Forestier Peninsula. Tasman then landed in Blackman Bay - in the larger
Marion Bay. The next day, an attempt was made to land in North Bay; however, because the sea was too rough the carpenter swam through the surf and planted the Dutch flag in North Bay. Tasman then claimed formal possession of the land on 3 December 1642.
New Zealand
After some exploration, Tasman had intended to proceed in a northerly direction but as the wind was unfavourable he steered east. On 13 December they sighted land on the north-west coast of the
South Island,
New Zealand, becoming the first Europeans to do so. Tasman named it
Staten Landt on the assumption that it was connected to an island (
Staten Island, Argentina) at the south of the tip of
South America. Proceeding north and then east one of his boats was attacked by
Māori in waka, and four of his men were killed. Tasman named it
Murderers' Bay (now known as
Golden Bay) and sailed north, but mistook
Cook Strait for a
bight (naming it
Zeehaen's Bight). Two names that he bestowed on New Zealand landmarks still endure:
Cape Maria van Diemen and
Three Kings Islands (
Cabo Pieter Boreels is now known as
Cape Egmont).
The return voyage
On route back to Batavia, Tasman came across the
Tongan archipelago on 20 January 1643. While passing the
Fiji Islands Tasman's ships came close to being wrecked on the dangerous reefs of the north-eastern part of the Fiji group. He charted the eastern tip of
Vanua Levu and
Cikobia before making his way back into the open sea. He eventually turned north-west to
New Guinea, and arrived at Batavia on 15 June 1643.
Second Pacific voyage
thumb|The route of the first and second voyageWith three ships on his second voyage (
Limmen,
Zeemeeuw and the tender
Braek) in 1644, he followed the south coast of New Guinea west. He missed the
Torres Strait between New Guinea and Australia, and continued his voyage along the Australian coast. He mapped the north coast of Australia making observations on the land and its people.
From the point of view of the Dutch East India Company Tasman's explorations were a disappointment: he had neither found a promising area for trade nor a useful new shipping route. For over a century, until the era of
James Cook, Tasmania and New Zealand were not visited by Europeans - mainland Australia was visited, but usually only by accident.
Tasman's legacy
As with many explorers, Tasman's name has been honoured in many ways. These include:
- the Australian island Tasmania, (renamed after him, formerly Van Diemen's land), including features such as:
