The explorer Abel Tasman gave his name to the island of Tasmania - but what nationality was he?
Abel Tasman also worked on ANZAC War Memorial in Hyde Park and the crypt at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 1603 – 10 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) and New Zealand, and to sight the Fiji islands. Tasman originated from Lutjegast, a small village in the province of Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands. The oldest
Abel Tasman National Park Abel Tasman National Park Abel Tasman National Park is a New Zealand national park located between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay at the north end of the South Island. It is named after Abel Tasman, who in 1642 became the first European explorer to sight New Zealand and who anchored nearby in Golden Bay. The park was founded in 1942, largely through the efforts of ornithologist and author Pérrine Moncrieff to have land reserved for the purpose. Moncrieff served on the park board from 1943 to 1974. The park was opened on the 18 December 1942 to mark the 300th