The Lapita's first voyages into the unknown must have appeared suicidal
Although many were lost at sea,
some Lapita did reach new islands,
thanks to their extraordinary navigation skills
This man can interpret the direction of land by reading wave and swell patterns
Like his ancestors,
he carries in his head a complex wind map detailing the various seasonal winds
that serve as a compass
And at night, he can navigate by the stars
In craft like these,
the Lapita reached the islands of Tonga,2,000 miles east of New Guinea,
in the heart of the South Pacific
Further east,
the odds of a castaway making land drop steeply as the islands become fewer and even more isolated