#circumnavigation of the Pacific

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.

Depending on weather conditions, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are tentatively scheduled to depart Hilo for French Polynesia on May 30 to resume the four-year Moananuiākea Voyage, Circumnavigation of the Pacific.

After four months and more than 20 community engagements around the Hawaiian Islands for the Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail, traditional voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa is back home at the Marine Education Training Center at Sand Island for the holidays. 

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.

Weather-permitting, Hōkūleʻa is scheduled to depart Kaunakakai on Sunday and head to Lānaʻi where the voyaging canoe is expected to be welcomed at Hulapōeo that afternoon at approximately 4 p.m.

Hōkūleʻa, Hawaiʻi’s iconic double-hulled voyaging canoe, will embark on the next leg of its statewide Pae ʻĀina sail this Sunday, heading towards Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi. During the week-long stop at Kaunakakai Harbor, the crew will welcome school groups and the general public to share about traditional voyaging, the rich cultural history that the canoe represents and about plans for future legs of the Moananuiākea Voyage.

After a two-week engagement on Kauaʻi, Hōkūleʻa departed Nāwiliwili Small Boat Harbor on Friday and sailed to Haleʻiwa, Oʻahu, the third stop on the Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail.

After a one-day delay due to weather, legendary voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa is now expected to depart Sand Island, Oʻahu today and sail to Hanalei, Kauaʻi, the first stop on the Pae ‘Āina Statewide Sail. 

Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO Nainoa Thompson today announced a major change to the Moananuiākea Voyage sail plan.  In the wake of the devastating fires on Maui, Hōkūleʻa will return home from San Diego, California in late December, before continuing on the circumnavigation of the Pacific.  

Voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa is scheduled to depart Juneau for Yakutat this morning and begin the first leg of the Alaska Heritage Sail, a pre-voyage through the Southeast region of Alaska before the Global Launch of the Moananuiākea Voyage circumnavigation of the Pacific on June 15, 2023.