#French Polynesia

Polynesian voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia arrived in Bora Bora on Sunday after a two-day sail from Tautira, Tahiti. Bora Bora is the final port of call in French Polynesia before continuing on to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

A Hawaiʻi delegation recently joined Indigenous leaders from across the Pacific for a cultural ceremony at the sacred marae of Taputapuātea on Raʻiātea Island in French Polynesia. The event, held on the final day of the annual Raromataʻi Festival, was focused around the formal signing of a new Charter of Cultural Heritage, Education and Community […]

Members of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees, led by Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele and CEO Stacy Ferreira, are representing Hawaiʻi at the annual Raromataʻi Festival in Raʻiātea, French Polynesia.

Since departing Moʻorea on Monday, July 14, the voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia have been back in Papeʻetē, Tahiti to rest, replenish, and prepare for their next leg of the Moananuiākea Voyage. 

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia continued the French Polynesia leg of the Moananuiākea Voyage and 50th birthday celebrations of Hōkūleʻa this past week, sailing from the island of Tahiti to Moʻorea to deepen cultural ties and spark dialogue around ocean protection.

Voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia arrived in Papeʻetē yesterday to a celebration that brought together thousands of people from across Tahiti, Hawaiʻi, and beyond. Accompanied by Tahitian voyaging canoe Fa‘afaite, a fleet of smaller canoes, paddlers, and jet skis, the vessels sailed into the harbor in a moment that honored half a century of Hōkūleʻa’s legacy and the ancestral relationship between Hawaiʻi and French Polynesia.

On Tuesday, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s traditional voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia, accompanied by Tahiti’s canoe Fa‘afaite, arrived at their first stop in French Polynesia: Taputapuātea.

The crew of the Polynesian voyaging canoe, Hōkūleʻa sighted distant lights on the horizon, Saturday—marking their first visual confirmation of land since departing Hilo on June 3. A safety crew aboard the Hikianalia confirmed it was the island of Rangiroa in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia.

Nearly a week since departing Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island, the voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are making steady progress on their sail to French Polynesia, the first international leg that resumes the Moananuiākea Voyage. After six days at sea, the canoes are on course and now approximately halfway to the equator.

 The four-year journey spans an estimated 43,000 nautical miles, 36 countries and archipelagoes, nearly 100 Indigenous territories and more than 400 ports.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society announced that the Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will now depart from Hilo on Tuesday morning, June 3, after postponing the voyage due to weather conditions.

The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC), the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders convenes on O‘ahu from June 6-16, 2024. More than 2,200 delegates from 27 Pacific nations will gather for 10 days of cultural exchange, appreciation, and celebration at various venues across the island. More than 50 festival events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, Festival Village, heritage dance and contemporary music performances, heritage arts demonstrations, visual arts exhibits, and more, will be free and open to the public.

After 17 days at sea sailing down Kealaikahiki, the ancient searoad to Tahiti, the Hōkūleʻa Crew sighted Arutua, one of 80 islands and atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. 

A new study provides the first snapshot of the diversity of dissolved chemicals floating among coral reefs — and a window into the interactions among organisms, which scientists are just beginning to understand.

Hawaiian Airlines resumes its service to Tahiti on Aug. 7, 2021. The announcement comes following the launch of a pre-travel testing program between Hawaiʻi and French Polynesia.

Maui resident Renee Capozzola’s “Shark’s Skylight” photo taken in French Polynesia won the 2021 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition that drew 4,500 submissions from 68 countries.

Hōkūle‘a returned to Taputapuatea, the spiritual center for voyagers of the Pacific, to ceremonially launch and close their voyages.

The crew of Hōkūleʻa arrived safely at Rapa Nui today after sailing for about 16 days across approximately 1,900 nautical miles of deep ocean.

The leg to Rapa Nui presents a unique learning opportunity for young navigators to test their wayfinding abilities and skills needed to navigate aboard Hōkūleʻa

The crew of Hawaiʻi’s legendary Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa set sail today for Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, continuing its Worldwide Voyage…