Crew members of Leg 15 are flying to the Cook Islands to pick up the Polynesian voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia.
The canoes left off in Rarotonga after uncertain weather postponed their Moananuiākea voyage.
Initially the crew was supposed to sail to Samoa. But the nonprofit Polynesian Voyaging Society rerouted the canoes’ course to sail away from the South Pacific’s hurricane season.
Now, crew members are gearing up to sail to New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa.
Archie Kalepa is the safety officer for Leg 15. He said more than half of the crew are already waiting in Rarotonga, and the rest will fly out this Saturday.
Kalepa said the crew is preparing for a long journey, sailing from the Cook Islands to Aotearoa.
“That trip is 2,700 miles, and we’ll be sailing in-between the summer solstice and winter solstice,” he said.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Hōkūleʻa’s first landfall in Aotearoa.
It’s also Kalepa’s first trip to the island on the canoes and first chance to connect with the Maori community.
“They’re our brothers and sisters, and we all have the same cultural challenges,” he said. “But we also have the same goals. One of those things that started 10 years ago or 15 years ago, was sharing the art of navigation.”
The remainder of the crew will fly out to the Cook Islands by Saturday.
Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are expected to arrive at Te Tii Bay in Waitangi on the North Island on Nov. 14.
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