• November–December 1642: In a Dutch expedition captained by
Abel Tasman, the
Heemskerck and
Zeehaen cross the Tasman Sea from
Tasmania (
Lutruwita, then inhabited by
indigenous Tasmanians) to the
South Island (
Te Waipounamu, Te Waka-a-Māui, inhabited by the
Kāti Māmoe and other
Māori). • 18 February 1876: The first trans-Tasman
submarine communications cable is completed, allowing
telegraph communications between New Zealand and the rest of the world. • 3 February 1908: first trans-Tasman
radio transmission (via
HMS Powerful in Tasman Sea). • 10 January 1928:
Moncrieff and Hood vanish without trace during the first trans-Tasman flight attempt. • 10 September 1928: Sir
Charles Kingsford Smith and his three-man crew complete the first successful trans-Tasman flight. • 7 January 1931:
Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from
Australia to
New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand's
west coast. • 30 April 1940:
Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) begins commercial trans-Tasman flights between Auckland and Sydney using
Short S.30 flying boats. • 11 April 1965:
Qantas begins commercial trans-Tasman jet service, between Christchurch and Sydney using
Boeing 707 aircraft. • 1969:
Anders Svedlund attempted a crossing from New Zealand to Australia; however, he was over-turned five days after leaving from
Auckland's Manukau Harbour and returned to New Zealand. • 1977:
Colin Quincey, an England-born New Zealander, made the first successful human-powered trans-Tasman crossing. He took 63 days 7 hours to row his Yorkshire Dory row-boat from
Hokianga, New Zealand to
Marcus Beach on the
Sunshine Coast of Australia. • 24 February 2000:
Dick Smith crossed the Tasman Sea in a hot air balloon. The flight was from
Kaitaia on the northern tip of New Zealand to Ten Mile Beach in northern
New South Wales, Australia. 2167 km were covered in a 55-hour and 12-minute flight. • 30 December 2007: Four Australians, led by Steven Gates, departed from
Hokianga, New Zealand on 29 November. They rowed to and arrived in Sydney Harbour on 30 December at 8:15 am, having taken 31 days to make the crossing. • 13 January 2008: crossing of the Tasman by kayak completed by Justin Jones and James Castrission; expedition named
Crossing the Ditch. • March 2010: Shaun Quincey completed the solo row from Australia to New Zealand in March 2010. Shaun is the son of Colin Quincey, who completed the reverse journey in 1977. • July 2018: Scott Donaldson completes the first kayak solo row from
Coffs Harbour, Australia to
New Plymouth, New Zealand. == Trans-Tasman relations ==