Tasman Sea
In Australia and in New Zealand, the Tasman Sea is often called the Ditch, which can be translated into Swedish as ditch. Now it is really not a small ditch and this is a sea where the waves go so high that people often out of pure fascination film their travels on large boats between Australia and New Zealand. The sea, which is a bee sea to the Pacific Ocean, located between New Zealand and Australia the distance from coast to coast is about 2,000 km. The Tasman Sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman. He is considered the first European to reach New Zealand and Tasmania. At a later time, the British captain James Cook came to the area and he could then map it as part of his expedition. In the local Moorish language, the sea is called Te Tai o Rehua.
Travel across the ditch
In Australia and New Zealand, many people are fascinated by the possibility of kayaking across the “ditch”. In 1977, Colin Quincey became the first person to row alone across the ocean and his son, Shaun, succeeded in the same thing in 2010. When adventurers Justin Jones and James Castrission in November 2007 set out to paddle in a specially built kayak for two across the Tasman Sea, received this great attention. They filmed the paddling over which took about two months and the journey was full of hardships such as encounters with approaching sharks. When they arrived at Ngamotu beach in New Plymoth in New Zealand, they were met by a huge media gathering and of course by their families. This expedition set a world record for the length of the trans-oceanic double kayak expedition.
A little history and more about the Tasman Sea
The name of the sea thus comes from Abel Janszoon Tasman, but there are theories that he was not the first to come from a distant land to discover Australia. It is believed that Chinese sailors came here as early as the 15th century, even though there are no written sources for this. The Tasman Sea is a region with very strong winds. In 2012, one could report a strange phenomenon in this sea. 40 km wide circles had been discovered moving south of Australia in the Tasman Sea near Tasmania and all the way to the Indian Ocean. Through special sea vessels, 200 meter deep formations in sea vortices that were formed by the eastern Australian current were discovered.
Islands in the Tasman Sea
In the Tasman Sea, there are groups of islands in the middle of the sea. These are thus a good distance from the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. Among the islands we find Lord Howe Island, Ball’s Pyramid Island, Norfolk Island, Middleton Reef and Elizabeth Reef which belong to the Coral Sea Islands territory.
Wildlife in the Tasman Sea
Among the larger animal species in the Tasman Sea, we find seals and penguins. Humpback whales and dolphins are also found here. There are coves that are known as good places to see these animals from and that attract tourists from all corners of the world. The Tasman Sea also has plenty of seabirds such as unique varieties of terns and gulls.
