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on 14 August, Tasman set sail from his company's base in Jakarta, Indonesia, with two small ships and headed west, then south, then east, eventually ending up at the South Island of New Zealand. His first encounter with the local Māori people (who are thought to have settled there several centuries earlier) did not go well: on day two, several paddled out on a canoe, and rammed a small boat that was passing messages between the Dutch ships. Four Europeans died. Later, the Europeans fired a cannon at 11 more canoes – it’s not known what happened to their targets.
And that was the end of his mission – Tasman named the fateful location Moordenaers (Murderers) Bay, with little sense of irony, and sailed home several weeks later without even having set foot on this new land. While he believed that he had indeed discovered the great southern continent, evidently, it was hardly the commercial utopia he had envisaged. He did not return.
(By this time, Australia was already known about, but the Europeans thought it was not the legendary continent they were looking for. Later, it was named after Terra Australis when they changed their minds).
Little did Tasman know, he was right all along. There was a missing continent.
In 2017, a group of geologists hit the headlines when they announced their discovery of Zealandia –Te Riu-a-Māui in the Māori language. A vast continent of 1.89 million sq miles (4.9 million sq km) it is around six times the size of Madagascar.
Though the world's encyclopaedias, maps and search engines had been adamant that there are just seven continents for some time, the team confidently informed the world that this was wrong. There are eight after all – and the latest addition breaks all the records, as the smallest, thinnest, and youngest in the world. The catch is that 94% of it is underwater, with just a handful of islands, such as New Zealand, thrusting out from its oceanic depths. It had been hiding in plain sight all along.
Zealandia is a submerged continent located in the Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia. It is mostly underwater, with only a few islands and landmasses above sea level. Unlike other continents, Zealandia is not defined by its landmass, but rather by its distinct geological and biological characteristics.
Zealandia covers an area of approximately 4.9 million square kilometers, making it about half the size of Australia and roughly the same size as India. However, due to its mostly submerged nature, it is often referred to as a microcontinent.
The existence of Zealandia is supported by a variety of geological and biological evidence. This includes the presence of continental crust, distinct rock formations, and the presence of endemic species that are found only in Zealandia.
There is ongoing debate among scientists about whether Zealandia should be officially recognized as a separate continent. While it meets the criteria for a continent in terms of its geological and biological characteristics, it is not widely recognized as such in the scientific community.
Zealandia plays a crucial role in our understanding of plate tectonics and the movement of Earth's continents. Its unique geological features and location provide valuable insights into the processes of continental drift and formation. Additionally, studying Zealandia can help us better understand the evolution of Earth's landmasses over time.