References
261
were fast ocean roads for reaching them, with less desirable lands in between being
colonized much later.
We argue that the chosen exploration strategy of following three of the four major
currents out of the West Pacific Warm Pool made possible a comprehensive, swift,
early colonization of the largest and best uninhabited islands in the Pacific and
Indian Oceans. An early discovery of New Zealand could be predicted from this
exploration strategy alone. For with the tendency of strong currents to turn towards
a landmass, the largest lands would be the easiest to find. New Zealand as the largest
landmass in the Pacific would have been both readily discovered and tempting to settle early. Its size was three times that of the Spice Islands. It possessed rich protein
resources such as moa and seals unknown either in the Spice Islands or in Island
Melanesia.
The early prehistory of New Zealand can be seen to emerge from and to belong
to the far older prehistory we have proposed for the Spice Islands. It can also be seen
as belonging to and forming a significant part of the earliest phase in the settlement
of the Pacific. Though the first settlers in New Zealand are usually cast as the most
recent Pacific migrants, seen instead as Lapita-age first settlers they take their place
amongst the earliest Pacific pathfinders and pioneers.
References
1. Walton T (2006) How big are pa? Archaeol NZ 49(3): 174–187
2. Reed W (2002) On the rank-size distribution for human settlements. J Reg Sci 41: 1–17
3. Gabaix X (1999) Zipf’s law for cities: an explanation. Quart J Econ 114(3): 739–767
4. Reed W, Hughes B (2002) From gene families and genera to incomes and internet file sizes:
why power laws are so common in nature. Phys Rev E 66: 1067103–1067104
5. Reed W, Jorgensen M (2004) The double Pareto-lognormal distribution – a new parametric
model for size distribution. Comm Statist – Theory and Methods 33: 1733–1753
6. Flannery T (1995) The future eaters, An ecological history of the Australasian lands and
people. Reed Books, Australia, p. 263
7. Anderson A, Chappell J et al. (2006) Prehistoric maritime migration in the Pacific islands: an
hypothesis of ENSO forcing. The Holocene 16 1: 1–6, p. 3
8. Dye T, Komori E (1992) A pre-censal history of Hawai’i. NZ J Archaeol 14: 113–128
9. Schmidt M (1966) Commencement of pa construction. J Polyn Soc 105: 441–460, p. 446
10. Prickett N (1983) Wai totara ki parininihi: aspects of the archaeology of the Taranaki region,
pp. 315–316. In Bulmer S, Law R and Sutton D (eds) A lot of spadework to be done. NZ
Archaeol Assoc Mono 14: 281–329
11. Smith S (1910) History and traditions of the Maoris of the West Coast North Island of New
Zealand prior to 1840. Mem Polyn Soc 1, Thomas Avery, New Plymouth, New Zealand
12. Belich J (1996) Making peoples, A history of New Zealanders from Polynesian settlement to
the end of the Nineteenth Century. Allen Lane, Penguin Press, p. 178
261
were fast ocean roads for reaching them, with less desirable lands in between being
colonized much later.
We argue that the chosen exploration strategy of following three of the four major
currents out of the West Pacific Warm Pool made possible a comprehensive, swift,
early colonization of the largest and best uninhabited islands in the Pacific and
Indian Oceans. An early discovery of New Zealand could be predicted from this
exploration strategy alone. For with the tendency of strong currents to turn towards
a landmass, the largest lands would be the easiest to find. New Zealand as the largest
landmass in the Pacific would have been both readily discovered and tempting to settle early. Its size was three times that of the Spice Islands. It possessed rich protein
resources such as moa and seals unknown either in the Spice Islands or in Island
Melanesia.
The early prehistory of New Zealand can be seen to emerge from and to belong
to the far older prehistory we have proposed for the Spice Islands. It can also be seen
as belonging to and forming a significant part of the earliest phase in the settlement
of the Pacific. Though the first settlers in New Zealand are usually cast as the most
recent Pacific migrants, seen instead as Lapita-age first settlers they take their place
amongst the earliest Pacific pathfinders and pioneers.
References
1. Walton T (2006) How big are pa? Archaeol NZ 49(3): 174–187
2. Reed W (2002) On the rank-size distribution for human settlements. J Reg Sci 41: 1–17
3. Gabaix X (1999) Zipf’s law for cities: an explanation. Quart J Econ 114(3): 739–767
4. Reed W, Hughes B (2002) From gene families and genera to incomes and internet file sizes:
why power laws are so common in nature. Phys Rev E 66: 1067103–1067104
5. Reed W, Jorgensen M (2004) The double Pareto-lognormal distribution – a new parametric
model for size distribution. Comm Statist – Theory and Methods 33: 1733–1753
6. Flannery T (1995) The future eaters, An ecological history of the Australasian lands and
people. Reed Books, Australia, p. 263
7. Anderson A, Chappell J et al. (2006) Prehistoric maritime migration in the Pacific islands: an
hypothesis of ENSO forcing. The Holocene 16 1: 1–6, p. 3
8. Dye T, Komori E (1992) A pre-censal history of Hawai’i. NZ J Archaeol 14: 113–128
9. Schmidt M (1966) Commencement of pa construction. J Polyn Soc 105: 441–460, p. 446
10. Prickett N (1983) Wai totara ki parininihi: aspects of the archaeology of the Taranaki region,
pp. 315–316. In Bulmer S, Law R and Sutton D (eds) A lot of spadework to be done. NZ
Archaeol Assoc Mono 14: 281–329
11. Smith S (1910) History and traditions of the Maoris of the West Coast North Island of New
Zealand prior to 1840. Mem Polyn Soc 1, Thomas Avery, New Plymouth, New Zealand
12. Belich J (1996) Making peoples, A history of New Zealanders from Polynesian settlement to
the end of the Nineteenth Century. Allen Lane, Penguin Press, p. 178