Abel Tasman Landing Site
A small monument commemorates Dutchman Abel Tasman's 'discovery' of Tongatapu in 1643 on Tongatapu's northwestern tip. He was returning to Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) after stopping in Tasmania and then New Zealand. He christened Tongatapu 'Amsterdam' with wonderful European sensibility. The Abel Tasman Expedition, the first Europeans to set foot in Tasmania, landed in December 1642, and the monument commemorates their arrival.
On Monday, the Royal Society of Tasmania unveiled a memorial created with the help of locals on the site where Abel Janszoon Tasman raised the Dutch flag in Tasmania in 1642. The Memorial was unveiled by the Administrator, Sir Herbert Nicholls, in front of a group of 27 people in Prince of Wales Bay, on the east coast of the Forestier Peninsula. The monument is made of solid concrete and stands 12 feet 6 inches tall with a 4 foot 6 inch base. It is prominently located on the bay's edge, near to the high water line.
Tongatapu has you covered when it comes to landmarks marking where the first Europeans landed in Tonga, starting with the Abel Tasman Landing Site on the island's northern tip. An information panel at the location describes the first meeting between the Tongan people and the Dutch explorer's crew, and a plaque commemorates the event, which took place on January 21, 1643.
Location: Ha’atafu, Tongatapu
