Two of Hawaii’s voyaging canoes — the Hokule’a and Hikianalia — has postponed Friday’s departure from Hilo to French Polynesia to Tuesday morning due to weather conditions, according to a news release from Polynesian Voyaging Society.
PVS leadership made the decision to delay the launch to Tuesday at 10 a.m. after monitoring changing weather patterns and determined that Tuesday’s winds would pose more favorable conditions for the canoes to sail on Kealaikahiki, the ancestral sea road connecting Hawaii to Tahiti, according to the release.
The canoes are set to depart from Palekai in Hilo, where they are docked at a restricted harbor area with no public access. The public will be able to view the departure from Palekai by the breakwater, community access gate, which will be open starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday, PVS said.
The departure from Hilo will mark a “major milestone” in the Moananuiakea Voyage, a circumnavigation of the Pacific that is expected to cover an estimated 43,000 nautical miles, 36 countries and archipelagos, visiting nearly 100 indigenous territories and more than 300 ports to honor the wisdom of Indigenous navigation, build cultural connections and inspire a global movement to protect and care for the oceans.
The voyage was paused in December 2023 when the two canoes came home to Hawaii from San Diego to support the community after the Lahaina wildfires killed 102 people and unpredictable El Nino weather patterns.
The crew arrived in Hilo May 21 and has since been focused on final canoe preparations and intensive safety training while waiting for a favorable departure window, the release said.
From its departure in Hilo, the Hokule’a and Hikianalia will travel to French Polynesia, which will take about three weeks, where they will make stops in Taputapuatea on Ra’iatea and Pape’ete, Tahiti. PVS said the crew will spend about a month engaging with local communities and “honoring deep ancestral ties.”
After French Polynesia, the two canoes will continue their voyage through the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Aotearoa (New Zealand) later this year.
Source: The Garden Island
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