Spices

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1700_in_science#Exploration

http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/expa/hd_expa.htm

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/glossary.shtml

Spices, Gold, and other valued goods

Most European exploration of the Pacific Ocean was based on two obsessions. The first theory was that somewhere out in the pacific lay a vast southern undiscovered continent. Which, in theory, hold magnificent creatures, spices, and was rich in gold. That is one reason that I think it was inevitable for someone to discover the Hawaiian Islands because explorers wanted to search the pacific. Explorers were determined to find this continent and eventually had to run into the islands.

Water routes

The other main reason that exploration would enter into the pacific was that early explorers wanted to find a water route from Europe to Asia. This is because back then Muslim and Italian merchant controlled most of the trade between Europe and Asia. Muslim traders would bring spices to the Italians and the Italians would sell the spices for double the price to everyday Europeans. Which then inspired explorers to find a fast route to Asia thus not needing goods from the Muslim and Italians. As the explorers crossed the pacific I think that for sure at least one sailor would bump into the Hawaiian Islands.

Technology

To be able to expand into the pacific the early explores needed some sort of new technology to do so. In the year 1700 sir Isaac Newton invented the mirror sextant. This would allow explorers to measure the angle of elevation to a celestial object above the horizon. He called this measurement taking a site. You then need to calculate the time of day and angle, which would