I would like to respond to the letter from Mr D. Gordon (19 October) firstly I would like to acknowledge Mr Gordon, how do you do? I respectfully disagree that this trip to Easter is a farce. Firstly I would like to make the point that the 'art of dead reckoning” is the closest European known equivalent to ancient polynesian navigation but is much more sophisticated than 'dead reckoning” and I am sure that Mr Gordon would agree that 'dead reckoning” exists. In fact it was a New Zealander Frank Horsley who was part of Shackleton's doomed 1915 expedition to the Antarctic who relying on 'dead reckoning” alone got them from a remote Antarctic island 'Elephant Island” to the shores of South Georgia 800 miles away.
Another point is that Jack Thatcher the chief navigator on this voyage to Easter Island was taught his skills from Nainoa Thompson who in turn was taught by Mau Pialug who was one of the last men in the Pacific who knew the ancient navigational skills, this triggered a renaissance which created the Voyagers Society. So to deny this waka would be to deny the recent facts from people like Nainoa Thompson who since being taught he has undertaken many voyages using the traditional knowledge. Go online to Hawai'ian Voyaging traditions. To say these skills never existed and even today is to deny the great Polynesian navigators of old and of today. I suggest Mr Gordon you do some actual research and not just online, given this you will realise (and it's Ok to be wrong) that your letter was an unqualified opinion.

Rangi Ahipene, Tauranga.