Spanish and the Portuguese had an active presence in the Pacific
from the early 16th century, but there is no firm evidence of
Europeans reaching New Zealand before Abel Tasman in 1642. Nor
is there evidence that Arab or Chinese ships (trading in the
Indian Ocean and South China Sea) were ever off New Zealand's
coast. There was speculation that a terra australis incognita
(unknown southern land) existed, but European presence in the
Pacific remained well north of New Zealand before the mid 17th
century. Dutch exploration of the Pacific was essentially bound
up with the Dutch East India Company's quest for a southern sea
route to Chile, and the possibility that there might be
treasures in 'unknown' parts of the globe. His voyage thus
motivated (and financed) by business interests, in mid December
1642 Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand, anchoring a few days later
at what is now called Golden Bay. By the time he left in early
January 1643, Tasman's New Zealand was a ragged line on the
world map, which might or mig