#Moananuiākea

“To host such a distinguished event is a great honor for our people,” said Chadd Paishon, a spokesperson for the 2028 conference. “It allows us to showcase our moana and share our aloha.”

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

A $500,000 federal earmark has been secured to support collaboration between the Polynesian Voyaging Society and indigenous communities to share traditional ecological knowledge and scientific information during Hōkūle‘a’s Moananuiākea Voyage via the digital Wa‘a Honua platform, US Sen. Brian Schatz announced.

The Hōkūleʻa will be making several stops in Southern California where the public can learn about its global educational campaign.

Hōkūleʻa departed San Francisco for Half Moon Bay, where it received a traditional welcome from the Ramaytush tribe and conducted community activities before continuing its voyage.

Since departing Prince Rupert, Hōkūleʻa and her crew have been sailing and making stops in various locations in British Columbia, including Hartley Bay, Klemtu, Bella Bella, and Hakai.

Hōkūleʻa arrived in Prince Rupert, British Columbia on July 14, where the crew was welcomed by chiefs and community members in full regalia.

Hōkūleʻa was warmly received by tribal leaders and community members upon her arrival at the Haida village of Old Masset (Gaw) in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia.