Parts of a deeply significant wooden ocean-going canoe (waka), found in the Chatham Islands, about 800km east of New Zealand, could represent the most important discovery of its kind in Polynesia, as claimed by archaeologists. The Chatham Islands, an archipelago governed as part of New Zealand, has been the site of an archaeological excavation over the past month, yielding more than 450 artifacts from a broken waka in a creek on the northern coast of Rēkohu, the main island inhabited by the Indigenous Moriori people. Lead archaeologist Justin Maxwell anticipates that studying the waka will provide new insights into Polynesian boat construction, sea travel, and trade, though the artifact’s age is yet to be determined. He emphasized the remarkable nature of the find, suggesting it will be a “hallmark” discovery in Polynesia. The discovery was initially made by a local farmer and fisher, Vincent Dix, and his son Nikau, after heavy rains uncovered wood remnants which they initially intended to use for a coffee table. The uncovered materials include significant parts of the waka, like a five-meter wooden plank with lashings and decorative pieces of obsidian and abalone shell, indicating its historical and cultural value. For Maui Solomon, chair of the Moriori Imi Settlement Trust, this is a “Moriori ancestral waka” that could shed light on the ancestors’ migration to the islands. The preservation work, led by conservator Sara Gainsford, is being carried out on the farm where the artifacts were found. The community is currently deliberating on the next steps to ensure the heritage’s long-term preservation, with plans to keep the artifacts on the island. The discovery is hailed as significant not only for the local Moriori and the Chatham Islands but also for Pacific history.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/04/new-zealand-waka-carved-canoe-discovery-chatham-islands-polynesia