Story: European discovery of New Zealand

Tasman’s ‘ragged line’

Tasman’s ‘ragged line’

When Abel Tasman sailed away from New Zealand, he had mapped only an enigmatic line, which might or might not have been the western coast of a great unknown continent. This Dutch map of 1726 shows the coast of what Tasman called Staten Landt.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: MapColl-830a/1642(1726)/Acc.32129

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

John Wilson, 'European discovery of New Zealand - Tasman’s achievement', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/map/1409/tasmans-ragged-line (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by John Wilson, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 May 2016