The first Europeans to see the islands were those with the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire in 1616 , although the British explorer Captain James Cook visited them several times in 1777 and learned their Tongan names .
The first Europeans to see the islands were those with the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire in 1616 . 
 The British explorer Captain James Cook visited them several times in 1777 and learned their Tongan names .