“These things are holy grail stuff.”

That’s how archaeologist Justin Maxwell described an incredible discovery at the Chatham Islands, about 500 miles east of New Zealand. He and a team of archaeologists and local volunteers have found over 450 artifacts relating to Polynesian canoes called waka.

For the past month, archaeologists have been digging up canoe remnants scattered in a creek on Rēkohu, the main island of the Chathams. The discovery provides researchers with an overwhelming glut of information on Polynesian boatbuilding practices, voyage roots, and trade practices.

Some of the artifacts uncovered include a five-meter plank decorated with iridescent abalone shells and obsidian. Researchers also found woven fibers that suggest the canoe may have had a sail. The chair of the Moriori Imi Settlement Trust believes these are remnants of an ancestral waka that brought his ancestors to the islands centuries ago.

The discovery provides researchers with a treasure trove of materials that will be studied for years to come, as the quantity and variety of materials discovered is unprecedented. The previous waka finds turned up only small fragments.

They’re still planning to understand before definitive claims can be made, like the exact age of the waka. “Everything we’re hearing is that this is a very old waka and as a consequence, it’s very significant. In terms of its possible link back to the original people who settled the land, it has massive significance for New Zealand as a whole,” said Ward Kamo of the Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri iwi trust.

“The waka has to tell its own story.”