A statue of Abel Tasman graces the Dutch Museum Oranjehof at The Awahou Nieuwe Stroom in Foxton.
Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, home to Oranjehof, the national Dutch museum in Foxton, will host an international travelling exhibition Welcome Aboard, which explains the journey Dutch explorer Abel Tasman and his 110 men undertook in 1642 to become the first Europeans to reach New Zealand.
Co-Chair of the Dutch Connection
Museum Trust, Arjan van der Boon, said the exhibition has been shown to great acclaim in the Netherlands and Tasmania.
"It tells the story of what in its day was a huge journey of discovery. Two small wooden ships set out to sail some 30,000km into unknown stormy southern oceans, without the ability to know exactly where they were.
"They travelled almost one 10th of the distance to the moon. And that exciting story is told from the everyday perspective of the barber who also acted as the doctor, the carpenter, and the navigator who was responsible for getting everyone home again," he said.
The exhibition explores everyday life and the hardships on board, as well as the crew's encounter with Ngati Tumatakokiri in Mohua/Golden Bay, on and December 18 and 19, 1642.
