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VI Mid-Island Club Night – Vaka Motu: In the Wake of the Ancestors

A thousand years ago the sea was a dangerous place. Long before Europeans had ventured onto the open ocean, Polynesian navigators, without maps or compass, were successfully piloting their catamarans over vast distances. Described by Wade Davis of National Geographic as one of the great achievements of the human mind, the story of how they did it and the cultural revival it inspired is as incredible as it is beautiful.

In a once in a life time experience, Lorne Perry joined the crew of a “vaka” bound for Aotearoa (New Zealand) some 3,500 kilometres distant. He learned to raise the sails, navigate by wind, stars and swells, and survived a storm at sea. On the first day as they sailed away, an exasperated voice in the back of his head kept saying, “My god, you’ve really done it this time!”

Come to the BCA mid-island November club night to hear Lorne’s tales of a truly unique and fascinating journey! His presentation includes videos with footage of the traditional catamarans in rough seas to really give a sense of the journey. He has also planned an audience participation activity where we will use a simple, old navigational tool to find the ancient guiding star for Hawaii.