by Geoff Irwin and Carl Walrond
In 2570 BC the great pyramid of Giza in Egypt was completed. But the remote islands of New Zealand lay empty of human history. From 1200 BC the Lapita people spread to West Polynesia. In Europe, Roman civilisation rose and fell. By 700 AD the Arab empire was expanding, and in 1066 the Normans conquered Britain. Still New Zealand remained unseen and unknown. Most evidence suggests that it was another two centuries before explorers from East Polynesia finally set eyes on the land at the end of the world.
But was it really as late as that? Debate continues as to when the first footprint appeared on a New Zealand beach.
Main image: A magnified bracken spore – evidence used to date settlement
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