Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, explorer and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC. He was the first known European explorer to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) and New Zealand, and to sight the Fiji islands. His navigator Francois Visscher, and his merchant Isaack Gilsemans, mapped substantial portions of Australia, New Zealand and some Pacific Islands. No life of the first circumnavigator of Australia has hitherto appeared in English. Nothing has been accessible to the English reader but an abstract of one voyage and a few lines in biographical dictionaries. This is scarcely surprising, when we consider how careless Tasman's own countrymen have been of his fame. Fifty years ago all that had been printed in his own country consisted of short abstracts of a few voyages, and these were hidden away in bulky collections. Even the date and place of his birth were matter for conjecture .and dispute. Things are somewhat better now."

Brief references to Aborigines encountered on voyage.

"Abel Janszoon Tasman: His Life and Voyages" is the biography of Abel Janszoon Tasman, a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644. He was most famous as the first European explorer to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land (now known as Tasmania) and New Zealand and to sight the Fiji Islands.

Abel Tasman National Park was a war-time baby, born in 1942 to protect the wonderful sequence of forested beaches and headlands, and which have become much-loved by both countless New Zealanders and visitors alike. Down the Bay is a tribute to this gem of New Zealand's national park system. Philip Simpson, an award-winning author of a number of books on New Zealand trees, presents a complete picture of the distinctive landforms of Abel Tasman, from the deep caves of the uplands to the distinctive granite headlands and golden-sand beaches, the diversity of plants and animals, the coastal environment, and overlays this with accounts of both M?ori and European history. As well the book records how Project Janszoon, a trust funded by a remarkable philanthropic gift, is working with the Department of Conservation to transform the park by removing pests and reintroducing threatened birds to restore the area to its former state. This is an inspiring and hopeful story of how the future of an important area of New Zealand is being secured for future generations. Down the Bay will be the first comprehensive and authoritative account of Abel Tasman National Park to ever be published, a book that will beautifully capture what is an unforgettable visitor experience.