1. Did European explorers visit New Zealand before Abel Tasman in 1642AD?
- Kerry Paul
- Sep 17
- 2 min read
Abel Tasman’s 1642 expedition is widely accepted as the first European arrival in New Zealand—but could Portuguese or Spanish navigators have ventured here earlier?
Portugal (like India before it) had two commercial aims: control of the East’s spice trade and the acquisition of gold. Gold was important for the manufacture of coinage and if there was a shortage it could restrict business. By the early 1500’s the supply of gold from Africa was in decline. New sources had to be found.
The Portuguese dominated the 16th-century spice and gold trades, expanding their empire from Africa to India and Southeast Asia. Later, the Dutch East India Company emerged, challenging their supremacy. With explorers like Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeu Dias, mapping new routes, did the Portuguese reach New Zealand before Tasman? Who were New Zealand’s early European explorers?
In 1519, King Manuel I (Portuguese King) sent 14 ships to India with one commander Cristóvão de Mendonça (English: Christopher, pronounced Men-dos-a) having orders to discover the Isles of Gold (“Golden Land”). This belief was derived from the legendary Suvarnadvipa and Suvarnabhumi both terms meaning “Golden Land” in ancient Indian Sanskrit literature believed to be “beyond Sumatra”.
Did earlier Indian explorations uncover gold sources far beyond the Indonesian archipelago? Indian trade with Southeast Asia had declined following the Muslim Invasion of India in the 8th Century alongwith exploration further afield. Now 800 years later the Portuguese were seeking to make the discovery of the “Golden Lands”?
In 1522/23, Cristóvão de Mendonça set sail from Malacca, Malaysia, leading an expedition with four ships to explore for land “beyond Sumatra”. He was to find Australia's east coast and New Zealand's North Island.
The following blogs examine how Cristóvão de Mendonça created his map of Illa do Magna (the North Island, New Zealand)
Let's continue to discuss about Pre-Abel Tasman exploration of New Zealand:
Your next read in the series: 2. What did Mendonca record during his voyage around Illa do magna? (the North Island of New Zealand)
