Hōkūle‘a to Return Home from Worldwide Voyage

Hōkūle‘a. Polynesian Voyaging Society photo.

Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia, the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s wa‘a (voyaging canoes), will return to Hawai‘i from their Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage on Saturday, June 17, 2017.

The culmination of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage will be celebrated on O‘ahu’s Magic Island on Saturday, June 17, 2017, from 7 a.m. to  5:30 p.m. (see “Hōkūleʻa Homecoming Ceremony and Celebration Schedule” below).

The historic event will include a cultural welcoming ceremony followed by an all-day grand celebration open to the entire community.

The voyage, sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines, began in 2013 with a Mālama Hawaiʻi sail around the Hawaiian archipelago.

Since then, the canoes have been sailing across Earth’s oceans, using only ancient wayfinding practices as part of a global movement toward a more sustainable world.

The Hawaiian name for this journey, Mālama Honua, means “to care for our Earth” and this mission engaged communities worldwide regarding sustainable living practices, while sharing the Polynesian culture, learning from the past and from each other, creating global relationships, and inspiring action to care for our Island Earth.

Of the 245 participating crew members, over 200 were formal or informal educators.

At its completion, the voyage of Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia will have covered a combined 60,000 nautical miles, over 150 ports and 23 countries and territories worldwide.

For updates and more information, go online.

Hōkūleʻa Homecoming Ceremony and Celebration Schedule

7-8 AM Four local voyaging canoes from Hawaiian Islands arrive at Magic Island marina
Arrival Times: 7:00 AM – Nāmāhoe / 7:30 AM Moʻokiha / 7:45 AM Makaliʻi /
8 AM Hawaiʻiloa
8:30 AM Two canoes from the Pacific voyaging community arrive at Magic Island marina
Okeanos Marshall Islands / Faʻafaite of Tahiti
9 AM Hikianalia enters marina and docks along bank
Hōkūleʻa enters marina and ties up to floating dock at Marker 7
10 AM Kāliʻi Rite conducted by Hale Mua
10:30 AM Formal Homecoming Ceremony
12:30-1 PM Screening of Mālama Honua Voyage Highlights
1-5:30 PM Hoʻolauleʻa: Music and Community Celebration
1-1:20 PM Olomana
1:30-1:45 PM Jon Osorio
1:50-2:20 PM Kapena
2:30-2:55 PM Keauhou
3-3:10 PM Auliʻi Carvalho
3:15-3:30 PM Leon & Malia
3:35-3:45 PM Steve Grimes
3:50-4:10 PM Kainani Kahaunaele
4:15-4:40 PM Tahiti MANA
4:45-5:20 PM John Cruz, Brother Noland & Paula Fuga
5:20-5:25 PM Mahalo message from Nainoa Thompson
5:25-5:30 PM “Hawaiʻi Aloha”

PARKING INFORMATION

No general parking in Magic Island, strictly enforced

• Limited handicap parking in Magic Island, must have placard-holder in the car with ID,
  strictly enforced
• Encouraging public transportation and off-site parking to alleviate expected congestion;
  o HPD may shut down Ala Moana Park Drive as needed
  o Offsite parking available with shuttles running as needed from 7:00 AM – 6:30 PM
  o Free parking at McKinley High School, enter at Pensacola St.
  o Paid parking at Hawai‘i Convention Center, enter at Kalakaua Ave.

FOOD

• Participating vendors will be using compostable items; no one-time use plastics
• PVS encourages reusable water bottles, coconut filtered water stations provided by
  Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation
• Participating food vendors:
  o Ahi Ambassadors
  o Da Spot
  o Hale Kealoha
  o IL Gelato
  o L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Hawaiian Plate and Mix Plate
  o Teddy’s Bigger Burgers
  o Waimānalo Farms

OTHER INFORMATION

• Pop-up tents only allowed around perimeter of multi-purpose field
• No canoe tours or entry onto Hōkūleʻa
• PVS commemorative Homecoming t-shirts available for sale

About the Wa‘a & Crew

The Hōkūle‘a  was first launched in 1975. Through her voyages, Hōkūleʻa has sparked a reawakening of Hawaiian culture, language, identity and revitalized voyaging and navigation traditions throughout the Pacific Ocean.

The Hikianalia , a modern Polynesian voyaging canoe and sister canoe to the Hōkūle‘a, uses sustainable solar and wind energy to combine the latest ecological technology with the heritage of the voyaging tradition. She is equipped with the communications technology that allows connection to the global community.

The Worldwide Voyage used traditional Polynesian wayfinding techniques, including observations of the stars, the sun, the ocean swells, the winds, birds, and other signs of nature. As the first modern-day Polynesian to learn and use wayfinding for long-distance, open-ocean voyaging, Nainoa Thompson has led the revival of this traditional Pacific art and science.

Throughout the voyage, the crew has shared the art of Polynesian wayfinding with students of all ages around the world.

Hōkūle’a is sailed by a crew of 12 to 13 and Hikianalia is sailed by a crew of 14 to 16. The crew has rotated out at major ports of call, training in Honolulu in preparation for subsequent legs.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society prepared for the Worldwide Voyage for more than six years, including two years of intensive crew training. The voyage focused on training the next generation of navigators and voyagers, who, in 2017, have been responsible for guiding Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia back to Polynesia after circumnavigating the globe. These young crew members have embodied the mission of Mālama Honua, and on their travels, continue to inspire
others to care for our Island Earth.