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- Common Questions About Abel Tasman
- #1. Abel Tasman Was Born In the Dutch Republic
- #2. He Moved To Indonesia With The Dutch East India Company
- #3. His First Voyage Was In 1642
- #4. He Discovered Tasmania On His First Voyage
- #5. Tasman Discovers New Zealand On The Final Part Of His Voyage
- #6. He Would See Australia On His Second Voyage
- #7. The Dutch East Indian Company Found Tasman To Be Too Passive
- #8. Abel Tasman Died A Wealthy Man
Common Questions About Abel Tasman
What Is Abel Tasman Known For?
He discovered New Zealand and Tasmania. He also mapped parts of Australia and the islands that were near it.
Did Abel Tasman Discover Australia?
No, the Dutch Explorer Willem Janszoon had already seen Australia in 1606. He would be one of the first to map it and recognize it as a southern continent.
How Old Was He When He Died?
His birthdate is speculated, but the best guess we have is that he was born in 1603 and died in 1659, making him 56 years old at the time of his death.
#1. Abel Tasman Was Born In the Dutch Republic
Abel Tasman is estimated to be born around 1603 in a small village within the Dutch Republic.
The Dutch Republic was known as a European power but did not have the exploits of England, France, Portugal, or now-fading Spain. Their first attempt at discovery during the Age of Exploration was in the late 16th century, over 100 years after Christopher Columbus.
Little is known of his upbringing, but it is known that Abel married Jannetje Tjaers when he was 28, and the two had a daughter.
#2. He Moved To Indonesia With The Dutch East India Company
Abel Tasman was a seafarer employed by the Dutch East India Company.
Although the Dutch got a later start to the Age of Discovery, they moved quickly. They began to colonize places within the Indian Ocean and in North America.
At the age of 33, Tasman would be sent to Batavia, which is located in modern-day Indonesia. This would be the location that would give him the springboard to discover new areas for the Dutch Republic.
He returned from his initial trip in 1637 and would return, this time taking his wife.
#3. His First Voyage Was In 1642
In August of 1642, Abel Tasman received his first command and was given orders to explore the little-charted areas east of the Cape of Good Hope (previously discovered by Bartolomeu Dias over 100 years prior) and west of Staten Land near Cape Horn of South America and south of the Solomon Islands where Ferdinand Magellan had been killed.
An objective of this mission was to find the Provinces of Beach, which did not exist but had found their way on inaccurate maps at the time.
His first initial stop was the island nation Mauritius. The island would be a nice place for his men to rest and get ready for their push trip east.
He stayed on the island for 4 weeks and would use a well-known wind current called the Roaring Forties to begin his journey.
#4. He Discovered Tasmania On His First Voyage
On November 24, 1642, Abel Tasman and his crew sighted the western coast of Tasmania. He named the discovery of Van Diemen's Land after the Governor of the Dutch East Indies.
He began south around Tasmania and was hit with a significant storm that blew him out of Adventure Bay and into the ocean. The crew regrouped and anchored north of the Forestier Peninsula. He sent two boats to the shores of Tasmania, where they found some edible greens to being back to the crew.
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.
Tasman then claimed formal possession of the land on December 3, 1642.
Winds continued to make it difficult for him to complete his mission. He discovered many islands but wanted to find a substantial mass of land.
#5. Tasman Discovers New Zealand On The Final Part Of His Voyage
After dealing with rough winds and incredible storms, Tasman and his crew sited New Zealand. They would be the first Europeans to set eyes on New Zealand.
This was the land mass that Abel Tasman was looking for. Although it would not be the mythical place that had an abundance of gold, it was a new discovery.
After sailing near New Zealand for 5 days, he sent two parties to survey the land. One of those parties was attacked by natives, and 4 would be killed.
En 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 northeastern part of the Fiji group. He charted the eastern tip of Vanua Levu and Cikobia-i-Lau before making his way back into the open sea.
The expedition turned northwest towards New Guinea and arrived at Batavia on 15 June 1643.
#6. He Would See Australia On His Second Voyage
His second voyage began in January 1644 with the goal of making more discoveries. This time, he followed the south coast of New Guinea and attempted to find a passage to the eastern side of New Holland.
After missing the Torres Straight between New Guinea and Australia, he continued west and would map the north Australian coast. At this time, the Australian continent was known as New Holland.
Australia had first been discovered by the Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon.
He was only out to sea until August, when he returned.
#7. The Dutch East Indian Company Found Tasman To Be Too Passive
Though Abel Tasman came back and told the Dutch East Indian Company about his discoveries, they were not pleased that he did not explore more of the lands he found and did not find a useful shipping route.
The Dutch were interested in furthering their trade, and instead, Tasman had brought back a few maps but nothing of value to them.
They believed that they needed to find someone more aggressive than him and never sponsored him again.
Tasmania and New Zealand would not be visited by another European until Captain James Cook in the late 18th century.
#8. Abel Tasman Died A Wealthy Man
Despite not giving the Dutch East Indian Company what they wanted, Tasman became very successful. He did run into some legal trouble for hanging a crew member without trial, but after that debacle, he retired to a life of relative ease.
He was one of the largest landowners in Batavia, and when he died, he left half of his wealth to his second wife and the rest to the daughter of his first wife.
His discoveries were never appreciated by the Dutch, and his detailed journal would not be published until 1898.
His work would be studied by other Europeans, and his discovery of Australia and New Zealand proved that there was another southern continent.