Abel Tasman
Dutch navigator employed by the VOC who made the first European voyages to Tasmania (which he named Van Diemen's Land), New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji. On his first voyage (1642-43), sent from Batavia to find a southern trade route to Chile, Tasman sighted the western coast of Tasmania on 24 November 1642 — the first European to do so — and then reached New Zealand on 13 December, where a violent encounter with Māori at Golden Bay (he named it Murderers' Bay) prevented him from landing. He then crossed to Tonga and Fiji before returning. His second voyage (1644) charted the northern Australian coastline from Torres Strait to the North West Cape, confirming Australia was a single landmass.
- Lived: 1603 CE – 1659 CE
- Nationality: dutch
- Roles: explorer, navigator, VOC captain
