Clement Paligaru: The settlement of the vast Pacific Ocean began thousands of years ago, with some of the boldest sea farers ever known. The story of their epic achievements is told in an exhibition called Vaka Moana here at the National Museum of Australia.

Dr Jenny Newell, National Museum of Australia: It explores the incredible achievement, the technological achievement and the creative innovation of these people who are able to span these vast distances in ocean going canoes - vaka.

Clement Paligaru: The Pacific was settled over several millennia because of the huge distances involved.

Dr Jenny Newell: It took many thousands of years for people to work out the technology to be able to span those distances and the navigational expertise to be able to read the oceans, read the stars and to be able to figure out how to span these distances.

Clement Paligaru: This outrigger canoe is from Solomon Islands. It shows just how elaborate the canoes of the early settlers were. In larger versions of these, people would carry their livestock, their belongings and whatever they needed to begin their new lives, thousands of kilometres away.

Dr Jenny Newell: There's four major vaka in this exhibition. And they range from smaller fishing canoes from the Solomon Islands for fishing "bonito", to the much larger Tikopian voyaging canoe.

Clement Paligaru: The travelling exhibition from Auckland features more than 100 objects.

Dr Jenny Newell: There's a lot of equipment that were taken on board - so canoes, canoe paddles and bailers, as well as cultural objects. So it was very important to have fishhooks to sustain you as you're travelling along your great distances. And fresh water is essential. So water bottles of different sorts were taken on board. And then once you arrived at your new location you need to be able to get yourself well established building some shelter. Having an axe to cut wood - it's very important -and you need to be able to dig to plant your new crops.

Clement Paligaru: Tell me about this very impressive, quite an imposing, figure here.

Dr Jenny Newell: Yes she is very powerful. This is Karve from the Caroline Islands and she was worshipped at a temple and during the breadfruit harvest. Breadfruit of course is this very important plant taken across the Pacific on voyaging canoes.

Clement Paligaru: As part of the Vaka Moana exhibition, activities connect the people of today with this ancient era.

Siosiua Lafitani-Tofua'ipangai, dance workshop instructor: The two dances I taught the kids today, they were composed or created around roughly the 11th or 12th century. That's why it's very important - it's related to what Vaka Moana is. So it helps them understand how old our culture is. And also they were beautiful pieces of performing arts.

Clement Paligaru: Aussie kids also try their hand at making vaka.

Child: I learn about the history about the vaka pepole

Child: I want it to look sort of olden day with a bit of modern added onto it.

Benita Tunks, vaka workshop coordinator: It's important that they learn about the vaka in this way because obviously Australia is part of the Pacific.

Dr Jenny Newell: Australia sits on the edge of the Pacific and knows very little about it. I think it's high time Pacific Islanders were able to see Australians are actually interested in them - that are more ways forward for people to learn about Pacific.

I think it is fantastic that the exhibition finishes with the funky vaka in the end. Because it shows that Pacific cultures are always changing, always vibrant, always able to adapt to new conditions, as well as continuing the traditions that have been there for countless generations.