Polynesian Expansion Across the Pacific By Ryza_17 14,000 BCE Polynesians are believed to have started their expansion across the Pacific They are believed to originally come from Southern Asia or South America Period: 1450 BCE to 1000 BCE Moai statues are erected on Rupa Nul 1200 BCE Lapita People reach Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga 1000 BCE Lapita people settle Samoa 753 BCE Start of the early Roman Empire 1 CE Common Era Begins 300 Polynesians settle the Marques and Hawaiian islands 700 Easter Island settlement made 950 Tongans conquer parts of Samoa 1000 First settlers on Cook Island 1300 Polynesians arrive in New Zealand 1600 The Moa bird becomes extinct due to excessive hunting of it as a sorce of food 1642 Abel Tasman founds New Zealand 1778 Captain James Cook discovered Hawaii Jan 26, 1788 Australia is founded by Captain James Cook Period: 1861 to 1865 American Civil War 1899 Samoa divided into two parts, owned by Germany and USA Period: 1914 to 1918 First World War 1976 Recreation of the great 10000km sea voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti
