“You will have completed the Polynesian Triangle,” I was told when I revealed that I had traveled to Easter Island earlier this month — except for one thing: what exactly is the Polynesian Triangle; and why have I never heard of it?
I Completed the Polynesian Triangle and Did Not Even Realize It
The Polynesian Triangle is a region of the Pacific Ocean with three groups of islands at its corners, listed in the order in which I traveled to them:
- Hawai’i, which was formerly known as the Sandwich Islands and is located at the northernmost point
- New Zealand, which is also known as Aotearoa and is located at the southwesternmost point; and
- Easter Island, which is also known as Rapa Nui and is located at the easternmost point.
Easter Island is Not as Difficult to Travel to as You Might Think
Easter Island is arguably the most difficult of the three groups of islands to travel — but if you happen to find yourself in mainland Chile, you can actually get reasonable airfares between Santiago and Easter Island, as detailed in this article which I wrote. In fact — at the time this article was written — you can leave Santiago on Monday, July 1, 2019 and return on Friday, July 5, 2019 for approximately $244.00 in United States dollars via LATAM Airlines.
Summary
I had heard of the Bermuda Triangle, but not the Polynesian Triangle — until this year, anyway — and I have no idea why I had never heard of it. I now wonder what other geographic triangles exist on our planet.
Okay — now that I know that I have been to all three corners of the Polynesian Triangle, I would like to actually explore the islands within that triangle. Tahiti is located roughly in the center of the Polynesian Triangle. That would be a good place to start.
Photograph ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
