http://gallery.pictopia.com/providerasset/1/pictopia_logo.pnghttp://gallery.pictopia.com/providerasset/1/pictopia_logo.pnghttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/33383/2011-09-21T14:09:33Z2011-09-21T14:09:33ZStephen Alvarez/National Geographic Image Collectionhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/33383/photo/3504991/

Lava flowing into the Pacific Ocean.

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On Easter Island, mysterious statues stand beneath a starry sky.

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Point of departure, the island of Raiatea in French Polynesia was a staging area for ancient voyagers who discovered Hawaii and New Zealand.

//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:3504984&size=128&m=1294705329.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:3504984&size=128&m=1294705329.01131236http://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/33383/photo/3504984/In the Magazine/Past Issues/March 2008/People of the Pacific2011-01-10T16:20:29ZNational Geographic Image Collection/Stephen Alvarezhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/33383/photo/3504998/

On a trip to the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, photographer Stephen Alvarez made this shot as a squall passed.

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A tropical gem in green and gold, Faaroa Bay gleams in late-day sun on the island of Raiatea in French Polynesia.

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Its sails like fins against the dawn sky, the Hokule'a, a modern Hawaiian voyaging canoe built on ancient designs, glides into port after a 3,800-mile voyage.

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Imposing walls of a tomb complex on Pohnpei were built for Nan Madol's rulers around A.D. 1350.

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Once carpeted with tall palms and populated by dozens of bird species, Easter Island quickly became a barren, deforested expanse, probably due to human exploitation.

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Carvings believed to depict canoe sails scar volcanic stone at the Kona Village Resort on Hawaii, which may once have been the site of a navigators' school.

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Steep swells pound the Hokule'a as it crosses from Honolulu to the island of Hawaii.

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A late stop in the Polynesians' epic journey across Earth's greatest ocean, Easter Island wasn't necessarily their final destination.

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A newly reconstructed stamped Lapita pot displayed in a museum.

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A newly reconstructed stamped Lapita pot displayed in a museum.

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A headless skeleton found at the Teouma burial site on Efate Island.

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