Science more or less accepts that early Polynesian settlers were adept at crossing huge expanses of ocean – otherwise, they couldn’t have settled as far from home as New Zealand and Australia. Exactly how they did so, however, remained a mystery. Now, two separate studies believe they’ve found evidence that explains how Polynesians were able to sail into the wind nearly 1,000 years ago. One group uncovered evidence of changing wind patterns, while the other dug up a surprisingly sophisticated canoe dating back 600 years.

The canoe was found by a team from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and made of wood originating there. Nevertheless, it’s believed to have been built by Polynesians or those of Polynesian descent, owing to turtles etched into the wood (turtles are a fixture of Polynesian art, but not New Zealand). It’s also similar in design to other boats found in Polynesia. The canoe was hardly what you might consider using for a weekend out on the lake: It was over 60 feet long, itself an impressive shipbuilding accomplishment. They also found that the vessel was either double-hulled or capable of being fitted with an outrigger. Both would make traversing the high seas a more manageable undertaking, with the outrigger option pulling double duty as structure for shelter on dry land.

In the other study, researchers from Macquarie University posed an interesting solution to the problem of sailing into the wind: What if they didn’t have to? Looking at ice cores, tree rings, stalagmites, and even sediments from across Polynesia, the team developed a computer model that suggests that for a small window of time between 800 and 1300, the prevailing winds were not what they are now. Until the year 1300 or so, the winds would have shifted direction, allowing for travel to Easter Island to the east and New Zealand to the southwest, depending on the wind.

As for how the two studies mesh together, It might be an issue of collaboration.

“We’re going to have to discuss, clearly,” said Dilys Amanda Johns, lead author of the paper about the canoe, who said she welcomed the other study’s insights. “We think Polynesians were really good sailors … we think they were able to sail down here with or without help.”

Image: Tim Mackrell / The University of Auckland