KON TIKI ROUTE TO N.Z.

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27226, 18 December 1953, Page 3

KON TIKI ROUTE TO N.Z.

Missionary’s Trip In Cargo Ship VIEWS ON POLYNESIAN EXPLORERS After travelling across the Pacific over the Kon Tiki route from South America to New Zealand in a cargo ship of less than 6000 tons, Dr. Herbert Money, formerly of Christchurch, believes that primitive people could have made the journey between South America and the Polynesian islands by canoe or raft. Ships’ charts showed that this route was calm and warm, and had an average of only two days a month of stormy weather,- he said in Christchurch yesterday? But Dr. Money does not agree with Thor Heyerdahl, leader of the Kon Tiki expedition, who claims that the first journey by this route was made by a raft from South America to the Polynesian islands. “I believe the chances are 10 to one that the first contact between the two places was made by Polynesian explorers going to South America,” he said.

In support of this theory, Dr. Money contends that the Polynesians of early times were outstanding navigators, and stocked up their canoes with pro r visions before setting out on a voyage. It was not likely that a Peruvian rati blown out to sea from the South American coast would carry enough food to last the men aboard for the long journey across the Pacific, he said. Possible Voyage to Chile “It is more probable that a canoe of Polynesian explorers was blown across the Pacific in the zone of the ‘roaring forties’ to Easter Island and on to the coast of Chile,” he said. “There it would meet the Humboldt current, which would help it to travel north. On the South American cOast, the explorers could have picked up provisions from the settlements that clustered round the rivers, and having reached the latitude of Lima, trade winds would probably have taken them back again to the Marquesas. From there, it would be easy for them to

make their way to Tahiti or any other point in the Polynesian group.” Dr. Money, who has been living in Peru since 1927, said the only way he and his wife could come to New Zealand for furlough was by the cargo ship Taybank, which brought 9000 Tons of sugar from Puerto Chicama/ the port of the Casa Grande Sugar Company in North Peru, .to Auckland. He and his wife were signed on the ship’s articles as supernumerary members ot the crew, and were discharged at Auckland with the conduct rating of “”ery good.” The voyage took 24 days. There were no ports of call on the way, and the only sight of land they, had was a glimpse of Sunday Island in the Kermadeq Group. From South America, the ship took a direct r'ute east across the Pacific to a point south of the Marquesas, and then turned south for New Zealand. Half-way across the Pacific one of the Taybank’s engines failed, and a major repair job had to be done at sea. Among the souvenirs of South America Dr. Money has brought with him is a blowgun of the type used by Amazon head-hunters. The weapon shoots a short arrow tipped with a poison known as curare, which anaesthetises its victim. This drug is now. being used extensively in leading hospitals in North’ and South America as an anaesthetic. A large company has been formed in South America for the cultivation of the drug, which is extracted from the bark of a vine in the jungles, and a growing export trade is being developed. “Primitive peoples have made a number of amazing discoveries Gf drugs,” Dr. Money said. “It was the forest Indians of South America who discovered the insecticide, barbazco, as well as quinine.” Progress in Education

Dr. Money came to New Zealand from Australia as a small boy, and was educated at the Normal School and the Christchurch Technical College. He later studied at the Christchurch Teachers’ College and at Canterbury University College. After teaching at the Technical College for some time, he went to the Anglo-Peruvian College in Lima, a mission school maintained by the Free Church of Scotland, as a missionary teacher in 1927. This college was conducted on British educational standards, and it was largely because of the school’s influence that the education system of Peru had been revolutionised by Dr. Manuel Oaria’s Government, he said.

Modern schools had recently been built on a vast scale in Peru, and greater attention had been given to the training of teachers since Dr. Odria had become president, said Dr. Money. A huge teachers’ college had been built 20 miles from Lima, and by next year it would take about 1500 resident students. The director of this college was a former pupil of the Anglo-Peruvian College. Many other old boys of the college, including the secretary-general in the Ministry of Education, held prominent positions in the country. Dr. and Mrs Money are field repre-

sentatives of the New Zealand Fellowship qf the Peruvian Bible Schools, which assists in the development of the Peruvian Evangelical Church. Dr Money is vice-president of the Peru Bible Institute and general secretary of the National Evangelical Council of Peru. They are both visiting Dr. Money’s parents, Mr and Mrs E. A. Money, of Mersey street, St. Albans.