Singing the Trail

The very first maps were oral maps made by early Polynesian and Maori settlers which were waypoints, described as "survey pegs of memory," lists of places in songs, chants, karakia, and stories that showed direction. Hundreds of years later, the Dutch Abel Tasman sailed here and made the first attempt at a physical map; he was followed more than 100 years later by Cook, whose map was much more detailed as he circumnavigated the country. Once the detail of the coastline was filled in, more detailed maps of the interior were made by those in search of resources to exploit. A clever look at New Zealand history and also at the intriguing tradition of map making.