HOW TASMAN FOUND NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Graphic, 25 December 1901, Page 33

HOW TASMAN FOUND NEW ZEALAND

It was within a fortnight of Christmas Day in the year 1642 that the Dutch navigator. Abel Janz Tasman, who holds the honour of having discovered New Zealand, sighted these coasts. For some four days he sailed along the shore, and at length cast anchor in what he subsequently called Moordenars’ Bay (Murderers’ Bay >. The story of his first meeting with the Maoris is told in his diary at considerable length. It seems that the natives were very suspicious of the strangers, though by no means afraid of them. Two of Tasman's boats having gone ashore for water, they were followed back to the shin by two canoes. The occupants of these would not bring their crafts alongside the vessel. The following day. just as Tasman had resolved to go nearer in shore with his two ships, a number of canoes were seen putting off from the land. They could not be induced, however, to approach near the ships, although invited to do so by linen and fish and knives being shown them. “ Then.” says the diary. “ the master of the Zeehan, who happened to be aboard the consort ship the TTeemskirk. ordered his boat, in which were a quartermaster and six seamen, to go to his ship to carry directions to the mates to keep on their guard. and that in case these people should come alongside not to allow too many of them to enter the ship at one time. When the Zeehan’s boat put off from our ship the natives in the prows nr canoes gave a loud yell to those who were behind the Zeehan. and made a signal with their paddles, the meaning of which we could not guess. But when the boat of the Zeehan had gone quite clear from our ship, the canoes of the natives which were between our two ships made furiously towards her. and ran with their beaks violently against her. so as to make her heel and take in water, and the foremost of these villains, with a blunt-pointed pike, gave the quartermaster. Cornelius Joppe. a violent blow on his neck, which made him fall overboard. The others then attacked the rest of our boat’s crew with their paddles and with short thick clubs and overcame them. In this scuffle three of the Zeehan’s men were killed and one was mortally wounded. The quartermaster and two seamen swam for our ship, and we sent our boat, which took them up alive. After the fight these murderers took one of our dead people into their canoe." Later, when the ships were under sail, twenty-two canoes put off from the shore, but on being fired into by Tasman's guns withdrew. Tasman’s comment on the country of which he had up to that point had such unpleasant experience was:— “It is a very fine country, and we hope it is part of the unknown South Continent." Tasman did not for some time attempt another landing, but continued to sad along the coast. Three days after Christmas the diary reports that “we saw a high mountain." understood from the position to be Mount Egmont. On the 4th of January the Three Kings was sighted, and here it was resolved to go ashore to secure “ fresh water and greens.” Therefore, about noon, two men rowed to the land to report. When they returned in the evening they brought word of abundance of water. They also reported that “upon the highest mountain of the island thev saw thirty-five persons who were very tall and had stones and clubs. These people called to them in a strong rough voice. When they walked they took very large strides. Our people saw no trees, nor did they observe any cultivated land except that near the fresh water there were some square plots of ground. gre»*n and very pleasant, but of what kind tile greens were they could not distinguish." In the morning the need for water determined Tasman to send the boats with casks ashore, but the surf on the beach was so dan gerous that the officers considered that it would be risking the safety of the boats and their men to attempt a landing, so they were recalled. Tasman christened the island “ Drie Koningen Eyland." or Three Kings’ Island on account of the day being the Feast of the Epiphany. The same evening the navigator had weighed anchor and left New Zealand behind him