Hōkūleʻa

For the first time in 20 years, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will visit Japan. Polynesians are not known for sailing to Japan, but King David Kalākaua sailed to the island country in 1881.

On the Long View, HPR contributor Neal Milner looks back on the Hōkūleʻa and the past 50 years for Hawaiʻi and the U.S. as we approach America's 250th birthday.

After the New Year crew members will resume training while the canoes are in dry dock.

A local exhibit called “E Ola Mau Hōkūleʻa - Half a Century of Voyaging” celebrates the spirit of voyaging and traditional wayfinding in honor of the 50th anniversary of Hōkūleʻa.

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will remain docked at the Auckland Marina until mid-January, when they will be moved to dry dock, which is expected to take about two weeks.

Podcast producer Ana González and Kumu Hula Snowbird Bento spoke with HPR’s Maddie Bender about being part of the podcast “Our Common Nature," which features cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

After sailing for more than two weeks, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia reached New Zealand. Crew members arrived a week ahead of the celebration in Waitangi and are under kapu until Friday.

The Polynesian voyaging canoes are sailing to New Zealand, or Aotearoa, as part of the Moananuiākea voyage, a three-year journey around the Pacific Ocean where crew members reconnect with the ancestral roots of wayfinding.

After weeks of delay due to bad weather, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will continue on their voyage across the Pacific. HPR’s Cassie Ordonio caught up with a crew member about preparing for the long haul.

Crew members on the Polynesian voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are gearing up to continue on their Moananuiākea voyage. But this time, they’re taking a route that hasn’t been sailed in 40 years.