104 days after departing from New Zealand, 2 traditional Polynesian canoes and their 20 Maori crew arrived at Rapa Nui, over 10,000 miles away, in late November 2012. Having navigated across the world's largest ocean entirely by the stars, sun, moon and ocean currents, and only stopping at Tubuai and Mangareva in French Polynesia on the way, they successfully recreated one of the possible routes taken by the Polynesians who colonised Easter Island over 10 centuries ago. Not only was it an incredible feat by the crew, it was also an important and highly symbolic joining of two of the extremities of the Polynesian triangle.
Waiting for spare parts from mainland Chile kept the crew here on the island for almost a month, and they became well-known members of the island community. They set sail for the return leg to Tahiti on Boxing Day, from where they'll fly back to New Zealand sometime in February. Congratulations to the entire crew.
