Abel Tasman Janzoon, Discoverer New Zealand

Abel Tasman Janzoon, Discoverer New Zealand

Abel Tasman is the first known Europeans reached the island of Tasmania and New Zealand. He and his men were able to map pretty much the rest of Australia, New Zealand da Pacific islands they encountered.

Abel Tasman is a sailor from the Netherlands, born in Lutjegast, near Groningen, The Netherlands. In addition to sailors, Tasman also an explorer and trader who is famous for his travels in 1642 and 1644. He was the first European to undertake an expedition to find the islands of Van Diemen's Land (now called Tasmania) and New Zealand.

His adventures began in 1638 when he signed up to work VOC (Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie, VOC is a private trading company owned by the Dutch in Indonesia, led by Mr. 16 (call for leaders VOC totaling 16). At that time Indonesia called Dutch-Netherland indie Indies, and Mr. Sixteen position is in the Netherlands.

In 1638 he and his wife left the Netherlands to go to Batavia (now Jakarta). From there the Tasman later given the task by the VOC to conduct exploration in the area of ​​the Pacific Ocean. Please note that Tasman had two wives, the first wife is Claesgie Meyndrix married and has a daughter. After his wife died, he married his wife Joanna Tiercx and the last is to come to Indonesia.

Browsing Tasman

Abel Tasman sailed after getting the task by the VOC to find Terra Australia which supposedly is at the south of the equator as a counterweight continent in the northern part of the equator. According to the story, or rather the myth, the continent is very rich in gold, energy, earth and spice and VOC desire wealth would be his.

So Abel Tasman finally departed in 1642 with a fleet of two ships amounted to his first voyage. On 24 November 1642, the Tasman to see the island of Tasmania. The island was named the Van Diemen's Land because at that time the governor of the Indies is Anthony van Diemen. But the island was later renamed Tasmania in honor of Abel Tasman cruise. The new Tasman claiming that the land belonged to the Netherlands on December 3, 1642.

Tasman then traveled to the north, but because it was led by a strong wind he sailed to the east. On December 13, 1642 he arrived in the south island of New Zealand and be the first to do it. Once you land on the island to look for water, he was attacked by the island's indigenous tribes, Maori, which led to four of his men were killed.

Tasman finally decided to return to Batavia and on the way to return that he passed the Tonga archipelago on January 20. Then he arrived in the islands of Fiji and map before returning home via New Guinea (Papua New Guinea) and arrived in Batavia on June 15, 1643.

A year later he sailed back. This time he uses three vessels Limmen, Zeemeeuw and Tender Braek. He sailed past the southern coast of New Guinea and runs eastward. He passed through the Torres Strait is the strait that connects between New Guinea and Australia. In this pelayarankeduanya he has mapped the north coast of Australia and make observations about the land and people in Australia.
However, both Abel Tasman cruise is regarded by the Netherlands in particular VOC as a cruise that failed and disappointing. That's because Tasman deemed not find a promising area for trade nor a useful new shipping route. And a century later before James Cook came to explore New Zealand and Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand are not visited by Europeans. Mainland Australia only visited by people who accidentally get there.

The Living End Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman was appointed as a member of the Council of Justice in Batavia on November 2, 1644. Two years later he went to the area of ​​Sumatra and in August 1647 he was sent by the VOC to the area of ​​Siam, now called Thailand. In 1648 he was sent to lead an expedition to manila aimed intercept Spanish ships containing silver coming from America. But the effort looting Spanish ships were unsuccessful and he returned to Batavia in January 1649.

Abel Tasman stumble corruption case that he was in prison in November 1649. Even a year earlier, one of his men were hanged without trial. On January 5, 1651 he was free and back to being members of the Council of Justice in Batavia and spend the rest of life in Batavia. In October 1659 he died leaving second wife and daughter of his first wife. His discovery is important from Tasmania and New Zealand also pemetaanya on the beaches of Australia region does not cause any influence prior to the arrival of James Cook.