First Contact: Tasman's Arrival in Taitapu, 1642

by Anne Salmond

'As the Dutch replied in darkness with shouts and trumpet calls from the decks of their ships, the warriors must have been mystified by these creatures who entered into their rituals, yet used exotic instruments and spoke an unintelligible tongue.'

With the publication of her book 'Two Worlds', Anne Salmond introduced a penetrating rewriting of our traditional views of first contacts between the Māori and European worlds, helping us to view these meetings with fresh eyes.

In this account of the dramatic visit of Dutch ships led by Abel Tasman to Golden Bay at the top of the South Island in 1642 Professor Salmond shows how giving equal weight to both sides of the encounter can shed fascinating new light on the actions and motives of both parties.

BWB Texts are short books on big subjects by great New Zealand writers.

Genres: History

37 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2014

About the author

Dame Mary Anne Salmond DBE (née Thorpe, born 16 November 1945) is a New Zealand anthropologist, environmentalist and writer.