It is now know that the early pacific island ancestors came from out of
Asia. A bit of a mix from that area as well. Some DNA has even be traced back to the Himilayas. What so far is know, is that they came down the indoniasian islands to then scatter out into the pacific. What is also known is that the early navigators new exactly what they were doing. It was not a case of being blown off course and getting lost with a chance running into land. What is known, is that the early explorers set off from an inhabited land with enough
food and
water and actually navigated and charted there progress in a direction. They sailed against the
weather patterns and currents. Once they reached a point of maximum distance/ safe return, if they had not seen land, they would return with all the
weather paterns and currents aiding them. They would continue doing these searches till they found land. The path has now been plotted of finding the Islands of the mida Pacific area first, right out to
Tahiti. NZ and Hawaii were the two hardest land masses to reach. NZ could only be reached by getting as far east as Tahiti and then turning down south and back west. Then same, for Hawaii, but of course, turning north respectively.
What is still not known, is how these early people new NZ and Hawaii actually existed. Finding the Pacific Islands was relatively easy. But NZ and Hawaii were way out of the way as far as they were concerned. There is speculation that there may have been an explorer even before them. But so far there is no real hard evedence. Some strange land features that almost look man made and are very very old, but no scientist has proven what they are. Just a big argument between ones that say they are man made, and they do have some good arguments, and those that believe that they are natural, and they too have some good arguments. Strong reasearch is still to be done. But if it is true, it is possible that man of possible Viking or similar origin could have been first here. And that stories of a Southern land may have been told to Pacific island inhabitants which then set off to explore.