Hōkūleʻa visits West Hawaiʻi communities during statewide sail

Last week, voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa arrived at Keauhou last week after spending a few days at the historic Hawaiian fishing village of Miloliʻi and on the bay off the shores of Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau. During the two-week visit to Hawaiʻi Island, the crew is engaging with communities and schools. This weekend, Hōkūleʻa will head to Kawaihae, the last stop on west Moku O Keawe during the Statewide Pae ʻĀina Voyage.

After departing Miloliʻi last Wednesday, Hōkūleʻa was greeted by several canoes and jumping dolphins as she arrived at Hōnaunau. On the evening of arrival, Pwo Navigator Bruce Blankenfeld presented at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Park.  The following day, the National Park hosted a day for students from Hoʻokena and Hōnaunau Elementary schools to meet the crew and learn more about Hōkūleʻa and traditional Polynesian voyaging.

When the canoe departed Hōnaunau last Friday morning, the crew was given a cultural send-off by Kamehameha Schools Preschool and Konawaena High School students. On the way to Keauhou, as Hōkūleʻa passed through Kaʻawaloa, the crew blew a pū and Hawaiʻi Island crew member Kanani Enos offered an ʻoli to honor the people of that land. 

The canoe arrived in Keauhou at around 1 p.m. last Friday.  The crew was welcomed by the Keauhou Canoe Club as well as Kumu Keala Ching and his hālau, which visited Hōkūleʻa the following day. Since docking at Keauhou Bay, the crew has been conducting school, teacher and community tours. 

On Monday, approximately 150 students from Innovations PCS, Kuleana Education, Kona Pacific PCS, and Ke Kula ʻo Ehunuikaimalino participated in educational tours.  On Tuesday, Tūtū & Me, a Kealakehe teacher group, along with other educators participated in a professional development workshop hosted by ʻIlima Choy. The crew also went on a learning journey with Hawaiian cultural specialist Mahealani Pai in the afternoon to the Keauhou hōlua rock slide and then to Heʻeia at the bottom of the slide one mile away. The huakaʻi was followed by canoe tours and an imu dinner hosted by the Keauhou Canoe Club. 

Wednesday evening, the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa hosted a Hōkūleʻa crew “Talk Story” event, which gave the community an opportunity to hear personal stories about voyaging and more details on future plans for the canoe.

Hōkūleʻa is expected to depart Keauhou Bay on Saturday morning then head to Kawaihae for a few days before returning to Oʻahu.

The Statewide Pae ʻĀina Voyage is part of Hōkūleʻa’s larger mission to sail around the Hawaiian Islands, engaging communities in cultural and educational experiences and exchanges focused on Mālama Honua (caring for our island Earth). Each stop allows students and the general public alike to connect with the legacy of exploration, environmental stewardship, and aloha ʻāina that Hōkūleʻa embodies.

For the latest updates on the Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail, visit hokulea.com. The seven-month voyage around the Hawaiian Islands will cover 3,000 miles, connecting with dozens of ports and communities, before Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia resume the Moananuiākea Circumnavigation of the Pacific in 2025.  The Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail is lifted by the support of Hawaiian Airlines and DAWSON.