There's evidence of Polynesian visitors to Norfolk Island, so it's entirely possible they went further afield, but in terms of the Maori doing it, it's less likely - once the archaic Maori arrived in New Zealand, and saw its abundant feathered protein, ample natural resources and space, their culture lost their ocean-going expertise reasonably quickly as it adapted to the very different environment of NZ - even when travelling between New Zealand's islands, Maori tended to use waka which were designed for lakes and rivers rather than the open ocean.
Which makes the journey of the Moriori's ancestors from New Zealand to the Chatham Islands in the 1500s even more amazing.
Comments
There's evidence of Polynesian visitors to Norfolk Island, so it's entirely possible they went further afield, but in terms of the Maori doing it, it's less likely - once the archaic Maori arrived in New Zealand, and saw its abundant feathered protein, ample natural resources and space, their culture lost their ocean-going expertise reasonably quickly as it adapted to the very different environment of NZ - even when travelling between New Zealand's islands, Maori tended to use waka which were designed for lakes and rivers rather than the open ocean.
Which makes the journey of the Moriori's ancestors from New Zealand to the Chatham Islands in the 1500s even more amazing.
Thanks. Fascinating.
No worries, if you ever get interested in the history of the last populated landmass, I really recommend this book by one of our pre-eminent historians: http://www.penguin.co.nz/products/9780143567578/penguin-hist...