Captain James Cook was the first European to explore the South Pacific. Hundreds of years before him, however, Polynesians sailed the same waters. Their canoes crossed vast stretches of ocean. They settled islands from Samoa and New Zealand all the way to Hawaii.

How they managed to travel such distances has been a mystery.

Now, a new discovery may finally explain it.

In 2012 a large piece of a 600-year-old canoe was discovered on New Zealand's South Island. The 20-foot-long piece is a section of the ship's hull, or main body. It was part of a huge canoe carved from a single tree.

Carving Of A Sea Turtle

The wooden ship is one of just two canoes dating back to such an early time period. It is carefully described in a new study.

"It sort of took your breath away," said study leader Dilys Amanda Johns. "I'd never seen anything like it."

The canoe dates from around the year 1400. It was probably at least 46 feet long when it was whole.

A picture of a sea turtle is carved into the hull. Such pictures were rarely used by the Maori of New Zealand. The Maori are Polynesians who sailed canoes from Polynesia and landed in New Zealand between 1250 and 1300.

But sea turtle pictures were common all over Polynesia.

Sea turtles were admired in Polynesia. Like ships, they make long ocean voyages.

Did The Winds Help?

The New Zealand canoe looks something like another ancient canoe. The other one was found 30 years ago in the Society Islands.

The Society Islands canoe is thought to be about as old as the New Zealand one. What is surprising is that the two canoes were discovered 2,500 miles apart. Clearly, the Polynesians knew how to get around.

One thing about the canoes has puzzled scientists. To get to the islands they visited, scientists thought the Polynesians had to travel against the wind. To do that, they might have needed very advanced canoes.

Scientist Ian D. Goodwin has challenged that idea. He thinks shifting wind patterns explain the Polynesian voyages. Over a number of years, wind patterns changed. For a short period of time wind patterns were perfect for travel in different directions.

"Really Good Sailors"

For example, from 1140 to 1260, the winds made it easy to sail from Polynesia to New Zealand. From 1250 to 1280, they favored travel to Easter Island. Advanced sailing canoes weren't necessary.

Of course, the Polynesians might have had advanced canoes. It just shows that they did not need them.

Johns is not completely convinced by Goodwin's idea. She admits the wind patterns Goodwin found may have been helpful. But, she says that once those wind patterns ended the Polynesians were still able to travel.

"We think Polynesians were really good sailors," said Johns. "We think they were able to sail down here with or without help."