Who was the first European explorer to set eyes on New Zealand?

New Zealand was already settled by the Māori, descendents of Polynesian explorers, when it was sighted by the first European explorer, Dutchman Abel Tasman in 1642. He called this country Staten Landt, after the States General of the Netherlands. Dutch map makers changed the name to Nieuw Zeeland, after the Dutch province of Zeeland. British explorer Captain James Cook was the first European explorer to actually set foot in the country in 1769 - it was James Cook who anglicised the name to New Zealand. Samuel Marsden landed in New Zealand in 1814 and gave the first Christian service on Christmas Day. Two years later, Thomas Kendall opened the first missionary school at Rangihou, with an initial enrolment of 33 students.