Abel Tasman

===Second major voyage===

===Second major voyage===

Tasman left [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] on 30 January 1644 on his second voyage with three ships: ''Limmen'', ''Zeemeeuw'' and the tender ''Braek''. He followed the south coast of New Guinea eastwards in an attempt to find a passage to the eastern side of [[New Holland (Australia)|New Holland]]. However, he missed the [[Torres Strait]] between New Guinea and Australia, probably due to the numerous reefs and islands obscuring potential routes, and continued his voyage by following the shore of the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]] westwards along the north Australian coast. He mapped the north coast of Australia, making observations on [[New Holland (Australia)|New Holland]] and its people.Quanchi, ''Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands'', p. 237 He arrived back in [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] in August 1644.

Tasman left [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] on 30 January 1644 on his second voyage with three ships: ''Limmen'', ''Zeemeeuw'' and the tender ''Braek''. He followed the south coast of New Guinea eastwards in an attempt to find a passage to the eastern side of [[New Holland (Australia)|New Holland]]. However, he missed the [[Torres Strait]] between New Guinea and Australia and continued his voyage by following the shore of the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]] westwards along the north Australian coast. He mapped the north coast of Australia, making observations on [[New Holland (Australia)|New Holland]] and its people.Quanchi, ''Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands'', p. 237 He arrived back in [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] in August 1644.

From the point of view of the [[Dutch East India Company]], Tasman's explorations were a disappointment: he had neither found a promising area for trade nor a useful new shipping route. Although Tasman was received courteously on his return, the company was upset that Tasman had not fully explored the lands he found, and decided that a more "persistent explorer" should be chosen for any future expeditions.{{cite web|title=Abel Tasman's great voyage|url=http://tpo.tepapa.govt.nz/ViewTopicExhibitDetail.asp?TopicFileID=0x000ae4f7|publisher=Tai Awatea-Knowledge Net|access-date=14 September 2011|archive-date=25 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425051818/http://tpo.tepapa.govt.nz/ViewTopicExhibitDetail.asp?TopicFileID=0x000ae4f7|url-status=live}} For over a century, until the era of James Cook, Tasmania and New Zealand were not visited by Europeans; mainland Australia was visited, but usually only by accident.

From the point of view of the [[Dutch East India Company]], Tasman's explorations were a disappointment: he had neither found a promising area for trade nor a useful new shipping route. Although Tasman was received courteously on his return, the company was upset that Tasman had not fully explored the lands he found, and decided that a more "persistent explorer" should be chosen for any future expeditions.{{cite web|title=Abel Tasman's great voyage|url=http://tpo.tepapa.govt.nz/ViewTopicExhibitDetail.asp?TopicFileID=0x000ae4f7|publisher=Tai Awatea-Knowledge Net|access-date=14 September 2011|archive-date=25 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425051818/http://tpo.tepapa.govt.nz/ViewTopicExhibitDetail.asp?TopicFileID=0x000ae4f7|url-status=live}} For over a century, until the era of James Cook, Tasmania and New Zealand were not visited by Europeans; mainland Australia was visited, but usually only by accident.