by Geoff Irwin
The world’s first seafarers set off from South-East Asia, sailing into the Pacific on simple rafts. Thousands of years later their Polynesian descendants began exploring further east, guided by the stars and the winds. How did they survive these journeys into the unknown? And when did they discover New Zealand, the final major land mass? Radiocarbon dating and computer voyaging have provided a wealth of insights.
Main image: Pottery of the Lapita people, ancestors of the Polynesians
 | |
 |
