Hōkūleʻa crew monitors weather for best time to leave Alaska as they embark on 4-year voyage

Due to inclement weather, the ceremonial blessing and global launch ceremony of Hōkūleʻa on its four-year Moananuiākea Voyage has been rescheduled.

For those following the Hōkūleʻa’s journey from afar, the event can be live-streamed on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hawai‘i Standard Time. The crew is monitoring the weather to determine the best day/time for the canoe to depart Juneau.

Thursday’s ceremony will take place at the University of Alaska Southeast Recreation Center in Juneau, Alaska. The Global Launch event will include Alaska Native and Hawaiian cultural protocols, dances, chants and prayers for a ceremonial send-off for Hōkūleʻa and her crew before they embark on the four-year voyage around the Pacific.

Representatives from Alaska, Indigenous Taiwan, Micronesia, Sāmoa, Rarotonga and Aotearoa (New Zealand) will share their well-wishes and commitments to the mission of the voyage.

The event will close with ʻaha ʻawa (Ceremonial Offering of ʻAwa) and a final blessing. Click here to watch the ceremony.

The four-year journey will take the Hōkūleʻa crew around 43,000 miles of the Pacific, visiting 36 countries and archipelagoes, as well as 100 indigenous territories.

Follow @hokuleacrew on social media or visit hokulea.com for the latest updates.