"Vaka Motu In The Wake of the Ancestors" a Presentation by Lorne Perry

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, I joined the crew of a “vaka”

bound for Aotearoa (New Zealand) some 3500 kilometres distant. I

would learn to raise the sails, navigate by wind, stars and swells,

and survive a storm at sea. On the first day as we sailed away, an

exasperated voice in the back of my head was saying, “My god,

you’ve really done it this time!”

Please join me, Lorne Perry, for a narrated slide show of a truly

unique and fascinating journey!