Returning to the 45th parallel, he sailed east. Over the next week, he sailed along the south coast, kept off by poor weather. Sailing east, Tasman reached New Zealand, the first European to do so. He mistook it for Staaten Island off South America, had tragic encounters with the Maori and sailed north where he reached Tonga and Fiji before returning to Batavia in June Tasman retired in as a landowner in Batavia and part-owner of a small cargo ship.
He died six years later. Since then Tasman has been honoured in the naming of other geographical features in both Australia and New Zealand. Keep up to date on events, special offers and scientific discoveries with our What's On eNewsletter. Receive the latest news on school holiday programs and much more!
The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands. The Batavian authorities soon decided to find out whether this "South Land" had any commercial potential, and in , Governor General Anton Van Diemen chose Tasman to command an expedition. Tasman left Djakarta in August with two ships, the Heemskerk of 60 tons and the Zeehaen of tons, carrying men and sufficient supplies for 18 months.
Tasman then sailed up the west coast of New Zealand's North Island to the Tonga and Fiji islands and returned to Batavia along the northern coast of New Guinea in June after a voyage lasting 10 months.
Although Tasman circumnavigated a new continent, he seldom sailed close enough to the coastline to chart it accurately on a map. Sent to establish a base in the Tonga Islands in , he failed to find a passage through Torres Strait, and instead he surveyed the northwestern coastline of New Holland Australia from Cape York Peninsula to Willem's River on the Tropic of Capricorn.
On his return to Batavia after a 6-months' voyage, Tasman was promoted to commander. But his superiors were disappointed. Although he had discovered more about "the remaining unknown part of the terrestrial globe" than any of his predecessors, his accounts of a barren landscape and primitive natives banished all prospects of trade and settlement. He was suspended without pay and ordered to pay compensation to one of the sailors who had nearly died.
Tasman was reinstated to his post after eleven months, and by he had retired. He was relatively wealthy, owning acres of town land in Batavia, and being a part owner and captain of a small cargo ship. Abel Tasman probably died in , aged about 56 years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and grandchildren. About Collections Online. Biography of Abel Tasman - Topic. Overview Abel Tasman was an experienced and highly skilled explorer, and was the first known European to sight New Zealand.
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