The Kon-Tiki

All his life, Olav Heyerdahl had heard the stories of his grandfather: of how he crossed the Pacific in 1947 on a primitive raft made of balsa wood. Now at last, he got to experience it first hand.

As a tribute to his grandfather and the original Kon-tiki expedition, Olav and his team built a new raft in Peru and sailed it all the way to Raiatea in French Polynesia. When they arrived on the 24th of July 2006, after four months at sea, over a thousand people greeted them in a traditional Polynesian welcoming ceremony. This is a spectacular and unique documentary of the modern day voyage, with footage of the 1947 expedition setting the context. The 1947 Kon-tiki film won an Oscar, and Thor Heyerdahl's book has sold more the 50 millions copies worldwide. At the time, the whole world was amazed by this eccentric Norwegian explorer. The story continues to enthral 60 years later, only this time in colour.