Accompanying a BBC2 series, this book tells the story of the Polynesians, a tenacious, voyaging people who sailed across the Pacific Ocean and discovered the paradise islands of the South Seas. Using the power of the wind and navigating by the stars, they crossed thousands of miles of open ocean in search of new lands such as Tahiti, Samao and New Zealand. The book explores the colourful plant and animal life which, like the Polynesians themselves, settled every speck of land in this extraordinary island world. From coral atolls alive with sharks and reef fish, to lush rain forests teeming with exotic plants, birds and insects, the islands of Polynesia have an intriguing natural history.