After three weeks of dry dock, H?k?le‘a has a fresh coat of paint and is ready to return to the water. The voyaging canoe will continue on the Intracoastal Waterway and sail next to Miami, Florida. We caught up with crew member Moani Hemuli as part of our ongoing series, H?k?le‘a: Voyage of Aloha.
On experiencing fall on the East Coast:
"We haven’t had very much rain, the weather has been perfect. For me, growing up in Hawai‘i, we never see the leaves change. So right now, in Virginia, we’re seeing H?k?le‘a on the lawn at the Mariner’s Museum, with all the leaves turning colors around her. There’s really vibrant reds, yellows and oranges. It’s really beautiful."
On H?k?le‘a’s journey south to Miami and beyond:
"We’ll be heading down to Miami via the Intracoastal Waterway. Once we get to Miami, there will be a crew change. They’ll go through the Gulf of Mexico and through the Panama Canal back into the Pacific Ocean. They’ll head to the Galapagos, Rapa Nui, Tahiti, and then back home to Hawai‘i."
On heading back home to Hawai‘i:
"Just to look back and see all the connections we’ve made through all the cultures and all the people, the world is our home now. Hawai‘i is where we live, but we have so many other relationships now. It’s just beautiful to see what we’ve been able to accomplish and the people we’ve been able to meet throughout this voyage. Being on the tail end, it’s bittersweet but I think a lot of people in Hawai‘i are ready for her to come home."
Follow the two voyaging canoes on Google Maps:
