#Hōkūleʻa

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia, Hawaii’s iconic voyaging canoes, are on the final days of the 15th leg of the Moananuiākea Voyage, a deep-sea sail from Rarotonga, Cook Islands, to Aotearoa (New Zealand). Today marks Day 16 of the journey, with the crews reporting steady progress and strong spirits despite encountering challenging weather conditions. Challenging conditions yield […]

As part of the Moananuiākea Voyage, the Polynesian Voyaging Society reports that voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will soon depart Rarotonga, Cook Islands, for Aotearoa (New Zealand).

The limited-edition collection debuted at a public launch event on Aug. 20 at Bishop Museum’s Kaiwiʻula Night Market. The limited-edition collection is available online while supplies last.

The Polynesian voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia arrived Wednesday morning at Avatiu Harbor in Rarotonga, marking their first visit to the Cook Islands since 2014.

Departure from Bora Bora marks the end of a roughly 6-week stay in the islands of French Polynesia.  Rarotonga, Cook Islands,  will be the final destination for the Moananuiākea Voyage leg 14 crew, which began in Tautira, Tahiti more than two weeks ago. 

The limited-edition collection will debut at a public launch event on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, at Bishop Museum’s Kaiwiʻula Night Market, from 4:30 to 8 p.m.

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.

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. 

Following their historic arrival in Papeʻetē on June 28, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia hosted dozens of schoolchildren, families, and community members aboard the canoes. This week, the crew of both canoes resumed their journey through the islands of French Polynesia, beginning with a meaningful and emotional four-day stop in Mataiea, Tahiti.

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.

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia, the voyaging canoes of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, have reached the Intertropical Convergence Zone, commonly known as the doldrums, as they continue their journey from Hilo to Tahiti, a resumption of the Moananuiākea Voyage. This marks a major milestone in the canoes’ progress south along Kealaikahiki, the ancestral sea road to Tahiti.

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.

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.

Weather permitting, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are scheduled to depart Mauliola (Sand Island), Oʻahu this Sunday for Hilo where the canoes will make their final stop on the Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail before leaving Hawaiʻi for three years for the Moananuiākea Voyage.

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. 

The Polynesian Voyaging Society is preparing to celebrate the 50th birthday of Hōkūleʻa, Hawaiʻi’s legendary voyaging canoe, first launched on March 8, 1975.