The authors collate and assess the known literature for drua, drawing out areas of commonalty and discord to place this within the context of culture, with canoe as focal point. They examine the unique role of the vesi loa (Intsia bijuga) growing on the limestone islands of the southern Lau Group, a boat-building material described as the titanium of the Pacific, as a magnet for master craftsman from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji and the resultant cross-cultural exchange that produced a craft that was arguably the finest performance hulled ship of her day.