Remembering 1642 and the meeting of two worlds

2012 is the 370th anniversary of Tasman's 1642 exploration of the southern seas and his first meeting with Maori. This provides an opportunity to reflect on what discovery has meant to us, and how our history continues to unfold.

Records of the events of December 1642 come from translations of Tasman's journals kept during the voyage and on a variety of images created by Isaac Gilsemans, a merchant who travelled with Tasman on the voyages funded by the Dutch East India Company.

Here at the Museum we are staging a display based on the recently donated engraving by Frederik Ottens that dates from 1726, depicting that first meeting. The display includes a modern chart that traces Tasman's voyage along New Zealand's western coastline from close to present-day Greymouth northwards to Three Kings Islands.

The display opens on June 15, the date in 1643 when Tasman's first voyage arrived back in Batavia (now Jakarta).

The Abel Tasman 370 website, www.abeltasman370.com, contains information on events, places, images and links associated with this anniversary.