Baye Des Meurtriers. De Moordenaars Baay…

Scarce, c.18th engraved view of Murderer’s Bay which acquired its fateful title from the events that unfolded there in December 1642, as Tasman’s expedition reached the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

Having traversed the Tasman Sea from Van Diemen’s Land and Europeans made their first fateful encounter with the native peoples of New Zealand. Tasman’s two ships, the Heemskerck and Zeehaen sighted land at present-day Cape Foulwind (Clipigen Hoek), then skirted northwards along the west coast to the northern tip of the South Island, rounding present-day Cape Farewell and anchoring in present-day Golden Bay. Here they endured a murderous encounter with the local Maori natives of the Ngati Tumatakokiri people, who crowded round the two anchored Dutch vessels in small canoes. Jansz, the captain of the Zeehaen was aboard the Heemskerck, and sent his boat with the Zeehaen’s quartermaster and six sailors to warn his crewmen to be on their guard. Between the two vessels it was attacked by one of the native canoes and four of its sailors clubbed to death by the Maori natives.

From Prevost, Abbe. Histoire générale des voyages : ou, Nouvelle collection de toutes les relations de voyages par mer et par terre qui ont été publiées jusqu’à présent dans les différentes langues de toutes les.. Paris

References:
Sabin, J. A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, from its Discovery to the Present Time. New York. (1936) 1967:  65403.
Hill, J. The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. San Diego 1974:  p.241.
Phillips, P. A List of Geographical Atlases in the Library of Congress. Washington 1973:  5991.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 6058912
Library of Congress Washington D.C.: 05041509
State Library New South Wales: RB/DQ909.8A
Bibliotheque Nationale de France: Identifier: ark:/12148/bpt6k201024v
State Library Victoria: RARESF 910.8 P929H