Many human migrations involved island hopping in the Polynesian Traingle, but the Hawaiian Islands are equidistant from any other land masses sitting right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its a long long way out there, Kauai is an island that is the farthest from any other continent on earth i believe. (also some of the freshest new imhabited land in the world as well, two unique distinctions)
Seems to all start happening around 2000yrs ago, human population pressures being the driver for such daring migrations. They would have to bring everything along with them on those journeys, plants & livestock, and some kind of advanced knowledge of the stars & navigation. Perhaps some king said there's just too many of us, so some of you have to go. (Perhaps the dolphins helped out a little too, they would at least be good company, man's best evloutionary friend: " the dogs that went back to the sea" ?)
Island hopping is one thing, because there are identifiable natural currents one can easily use between nearer islands in a chain. But when it comes to traveling out to the Hawaiian archipelago, that was one remarkable journey humans made, more than several times probably. And how many perished in the attempt we'll never know, like climbing Mt Everest, or coming across the land bridge on the Bering Straights. Between going to the moon or this journey, given the technology one was as admirable as the other.
Ancient Hawaii
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Hawaii
en.wikipedia.org
These would be some journeys indeed, how tough these humans were, very skilled at survival in this element, we have been just so adaptable with tool making & learning to read the orientating signs. On land this would be easier sometimes with animal paths, not so in the seas. One big watery Sahara desert with water one cannot drink, this shows just how far it is the Hawaii with nothing much inbetween.
Truely a remarkable accomplishment for the Polynesians , and for later explorers what would have been an amazing finds in the middle of nowhere. How many stories there must be for these discoveries we'll never know...
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