[[Image:AbelTasman.jpg|thumb|240px|Portrait of Tasman]]

'''Abel Janszoon Tasman''' ([[1603]] - [[October 10]] [[1659]]), was a [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[sea explorer|seafarer]], [[exploration|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 [[Exploration|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]].

==Early life==
Tasman was born in 1603 in [[Lutjegast]], the [[Netherlands]], a village in the province of [[Groningen (province)|Groningen]]. He was first heard of at the end of 1631 when, as a widower living at Amsterdam, he married Jannetjie Tjaers. He was shortly afterwards in the service of the (Dutch) United East India Company and by 1634 was mate of a ship trading from Batavia (now [[Jakarta]]) to the [[Maluku Islands|Moluccas]]. In July of that year he was appointed master of a small ship, the ''Mocha''. He visited Holland in 1637 and returned to Batavia in October 1638, taking his wife with him.

== 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 Formosa (now [[Taiwan]]) was reached in November, 40 out of the crew of 90 having died. Other voyages followed, to [[Japan]] in 1640 and 1641 and to [[Palembang]] in the south of [[Sumatra]] in 1642, 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", 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 coast 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).

[[Image:Murderers' Bay.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Murderers' Bay, 1642]]

=== Tasmania ===
On [[24 November]] 1642 Tasman sighted the [[West Coast, Tasmania|west coast]] of Tasmania near [[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 until he was off [[Cape Frederick Hendrick]] on the [[Forestier Peninsula]]. An attempt at landing was made but the sea was too rough; however, the carpenter swam through the surf, and, planting a flag, Tasman claimed formal possession of the land on [[3 December]] 1642.

=== New Zealand ===
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. After some exploration he sailed further east, and nine days later was the first European known to sight New Zealand, which he named ''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. It has recently been suggested that some of Tasman's sailors briefly landed here on [[18 December]] 1642. 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 ===
En route back to Batavia, Tasman came across the [[Tonga]]n archipelago on [[21 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]].

[[Image:Tasmanroutes.PNG|thumb|right|240px|Tasman's routes]]

== Second Pacific voyage ==
With three ships on his second voyage ([[VOC ship Limmen|''Limmen'']], [[VOC ship Zeemeeuw|''Zeemeeuw'']] and the tender [[VOC ship Braek|''Braek'']]) in 1644, he followed the south coast of New Guinea eastward. 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.

==Later life==
On [[2 November]] [[1644]] Abel Tasman was appointed a member of the council of justice at Batavia. He went to Sumatra in 1646, and in August 1647 to Siam (now [[Thailand]]) with letters from the company to the King. In May 1648 he was in charge of an expedition sent to [[Manila]] to try to intercept and loot the Spanish silver ships coming from America, but he had no success and returned to Batavia in January 1649. In November 1649 he was charged and found guilty of having in the previous year hanged one of his men without trial, was suspended from his office of commander, fined, and made to pay compensation to the relatives of the sailor. On [[5 January]] [[1651]] he was formally reinstated in his rank and spent his remaining years at Batavia. He was in good circumstances, being one of the larger landowners in the town. He died at Batavia in October 1659 and was survived by his second wife and a daughter by his first wife. His discoveries were most important but led to nothing for more than 100 years.

[[Image:Tasmanmap1644.jpg|thumb|240px|The Abel Tasman map 1644, also known as the Bonaparte Tasman map. This map is part of the collection of the [[State Library of New South Wales]], Australia.]]

==Tasman's legacy==
As with many explorers, Tasman's name has been honoured in many ways. These include:
*the [[island]] of Tasmania, including features such as
**the [[Tasman Peninsula]]
**the [[Tasman Bridge]]
**the [[Tasman Highway]]
**the passenger/vehicle ferry [[Abel Tasman (ship)|''Abel Tasman'']]
*the [[Tasman Sea]]
*in New Zealand:
**the [[Tasman Glacier]]
**[[Tasman Lake]]
**the [[Tasman River]]
**[[Mount Tasman]]
**the [[Abel Tasman National Park]]
**[[Tasman Bay]]
**the [[Tasman, New Zealand|Tasman District]]
*The [[Able Tasmans]] - an indie band from Auckland, New Zealand.

==References==
*{{Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=Abel|Last=Tasman|Link=http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogT-V.html#tasman1}}

==External links==
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20021004115657/http://www.lexicon.net/world/tasman/bhouse.htm A transcript of a paper on the voyages of Tasman, read to the Royal Society of Tasmania in 1895]
*[http://gutenberg.net.au/pages/tasman.html The Tasman page at Project Gutenberg of Australia] This page has links to Tasman's journal and other important documents relating to Tasman
*[http://www.atmitchell.com/journeys/history/voyages/voya_huydecoper.cfm/ The Huydecoper journal - Abel Tasman - The State Library of NSW]
* [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020463b.htm J. W. Forsyth, 'Tasman, Abel Janszoon (1603? - 1659)', [[Australian Dictionary of Biography]], Volume 2, [[Melbourne University Press]], 1967, pp 503-504.]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tasman, Abel}}
[[Category:1603 births]]
[[Category:1659 deaths]]
[[Category:Dutch explorers]]
[[Category:Explorers of the Pacific]]
[[Category:Explorers of Australia]]
[[Category:People from Groningen (province)]]
[[Category:History of the Netherlands]]

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