KEY POINTS:
The discovery of more than 50 ancient rock engravings in Tonga may shed some light on the pre-Polynesian Lapita peoples who voyaged across the Pacific.
The petroglyphs, including stylised images of people and animals, were found emerging from beach sand at the northern end of Foa Island, late last year, the Matangi Tonga newspaper reported.
The Foa rock engravings are on two large slabs of fixed beach-rock that were exposed by erosion.
