Photo: SuppliedShaped stone blocks found at Tautuku in South Otago, the Catlins, and Stewart Island, support the theory early Maori settlers sailed direct from Tahiti over 4000km of open water. Heritage New Zealand said today the geochemical signatures of the three shaped scoria blocks found in three early Maori occupation sites have the potential to challenge understanding of prehistoric human settlement in New Zealand. Tautuku scoria stones. It appeared the early navigators placed the scoria blocks, or marae stones, at different points of their arrival in the southern South Island. "The fact that they left their homeland with scoria blocks is also an indicator that they fully expected to arrive at a destination.''

Source: Otago Daily Times April 03, 2019 02:03 UTC