LIVING TREASURES. THOR HEYERDAHL

In 1947 Thor Heyerdahl and the crew on board the “Kon Tiki” drifted from Peru to Polynesia in the Pacific to test Heyerdahl’s theory that early Pacific people could have come from South America. The experiment made sea-faring history. During more than 50 years work in the Pacific he visited NZ twice. In 1990 he came out to New Zealand as a gift from the Norwegian government. A “Living Treasure” for the 1990 celebrations (occasioned by 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi).

This documentary focuses on the enormous knowledge he acquired as a student studying the islands of the Pacific. While in New Zealand he visited many marae to compare research studies and found many similarities in Māori beliefs as well as in the art of building reed boats such as the Chatham Island waka “Te Rangi Matua?” which was built by the Moriori descendants of Ahuriri, Moeraki, Temuka and Rekohu.