Two hundred forty five crewmembers participated onboard the H?k?le‘a in the M?lama Honua Worldwide Voyage, but many thousands more participated from land, following the voyage online. Case in point, Vince Farrant, a recent Kamehameha School graduate, who followed the canoe’s progress and met many crewmembers through a Celestial Navigation class at Kamehameha School. In HPR's Noe Tanigawa's interview, he reflects on the significance of this voyage for new generations.
With him, is Miki Tomita, a H?k?le‘a crewmember and director of the M?lama Honua Learning Center for the Worldwide Voyage. Part of her job was preparing for arrival at each of the ports, expanding opportunities for cultural exchange. Her responsibilities continue with the M?lama Honua Summit, the three day post-Homecoming gathering at the Hawai‘i Convention Center that will cap the three year Voyage.
The H?k?le‘a began its worldwide voyage in 2013, sailing through the Hawaiian Archipelago. From Hawai‘i, the canoe headed south to Tahiti, then west, first to Aotearoa, then along the northern coast of Australia. They braved the Indian Ocean to South Africa, then crossed the Atlantic, landing in Brazil. They then sailed through the Caribbean, up the east coast of the U.S. and back down, through the Panama Canal. The homeward voyage took H?k?le‘a through the Galapagos, Rapa Nui, back to Tahiti, and finally, north to Hawai‘i. Listen to crew member N?‘?lehu Anthony’s description of sighting Maui at the end of the voyage, link below.
