The Kon-Tiki expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named Kon-Tiki after the Inca god Viracocha, for whom “Kon-Tiki” was said to be an old name. The trip began on April 28, 1947. Heyerdahl and five companions sailed the raft for 101 days over 6,900 km (4,300 miles) across the Pacific Ocean before smashing into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotuson August 7, 1947. This is the motu that the Kon Tiki landed on.
in 2007, Heyerdahl’s son erected a monument to the event, which I visited today.
Thanks for these photos. I read the Kon Tiki book when I was a little girl. Wonderful to see this place.