Hōkūleʻa Returns to Honolua Bay, Kapalua, Maui in the Mahalo, Hawai'i Sail

Photo Courtesy of Multicopter Maui

Back on May 1, 1976, my father took me to Honolua Bay to see the Hōkūleʻa embark on its maiden voyage to Tahiti.  Several of his childhood friends were crew members on this double hulled voyaging canoe, named after the star of gladness, and we watched as they left the Bay setting sail to chart the course of their ancestors.  I was quite young, and the memories come in flashes, so I don't recall the size of the crowd back then, but my father tells me it was a fairly small gathering.

Since that time, the Hōkūleʻa has celebrated 40 years of voyaging, been proclaimed Hawaii's first state treasure, and has been blessed by the Dalai Lama and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu. It has become more than a vessel, it has become a symbol of learning, the revitalization of cultural traditions, and hope.  In 2014, the Hōkūleʻa embarked on a three year, worldwide journey to spread the message of Mālama Honua*, or caring for the earth, and "to weave a lei of hope around the world through sharing indigenous wisdom, groundbreaking conservation and preservation initiatives while learning from the past and from each other, creating global relationships, and discovering the wonders of the Island Earth."**

On June 17, 2017, the Hōkūleʻa returned home to Hawaii, arriving at Magic Island on a bright sunny morning.  I was fortunate to be able to complete the circle and take my father to see it return, albeit amongst a very large crowd of 50,000 people, just has he had taken me to see it off on its maiden voyage from Honolua Bay so many years ago.  There, against the odds, we found his childhood friends in different parts of the crowd.

Homecoming, Magic Island, June 17, 2017

And, we also listened as Nainoa Thompson, spoke of the history of the Polynesian Voyaging Society: the dedication of the crew; the loss of the great waterman Eddie Aikau; the three year worldwide journey, a momentous undertaking with the goal of educating people about navigation and cultural traditions, as well as to spread hope that we will take care of the earth. His message struck home for me: as we face global warming and higher waters, the Pacific Islands will be affected in ways that the continents won't, and it is our responsibility now to do what we can to preserve and protect our islands.

Since its return to Hawaii in June, the Hōkūleʻa will now embark on a journey across the Hawaiian islands to continue to spread it's message of Mālama Honua, with the first stop at Honolua Bay.

Event Details

Hōkūleʻa and additional voyaging canoes will be at Honolua Bay in Kapalua on the weekend of August 19-20 to engage the community in Mālama Honua activities.  The Polynesian Voyaging Society has partnered with the Save Honolua Coalition, the Pu'u Kukui Watershed, schools and local canoe clubs to coordinate an anticipated crowd of thousands to greet the crew and to plant native plants and trees nearby.  

After greeting the crew, they will proceed to Wao Kele o Honolua (formerly Field 52) to plant 3,000 native trees, 1,000 of which will be Koa trees.  The planting of Koa is significant as this is the wood traditionally made into canoes, thereby connecting people and the land to the sea.  Very few Koa trees remain that would be large enough for this purpose.

Tentative Mahalo Hawai'i at Honolua Bay Schedule:

• Wednesday, August 16– Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia depart METC at Sand Island
• Thursday, August 17 4 p.m.– Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia arrive at Honolua Bay
• Thursday, August 17, 6 p.m. – Mālama Honua Voyage sharing by crew members of Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia at Kamehameha Schools Maui, Keōpūolani Hale (Free and Open to the public)
• Friday, August 18, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Kamehameha Schools Maui visit with Hōkūleʻa crew and planting
• Saturday, August 19, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Wao Kele o Honolua (formerly Field 52) to plant 3,000 native trees
• Saturday, August 19, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Public canoe tours, Honolua Bay Ramp
• Saturday, August 19, 7 p.m. "Legends of Hōkūleʻa", where original crew from 1976 voyage will tell their personal stories. Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua Salon Ballroom 1
• Sunday, August 20, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Public canoe tours, Honolua Bay Ramp
• Sunday, August 20, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. - Talk Story: The Journey of Hōkūleʻa, Montage Kapalua Bay
• Monday, August 21, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. - Meet and Greet with Crew and Silent Auction, Merriman's Kapalua, $35 with all proceeds going to Friends of the Pu'u Kukui Watershed

How Can I Help?

Volunteer
Information on volunteering can be found on the Save Honolua Coalition's Facebook Page for both the Community Clean Up on August 12, 2017, for event management the weekend of the  the Tree Planting on August 19, 2017

Donate

• Polynesian Voyaging Society
• Pu'u Kukui Watershed Preserve
• Save Honolua Coalition 
• Hawaiian Islands Land Trust--while not a coordinator in this event, Honolua Bay and Lipoa Point are under HILT's protection since 2013, with the goal of conserving the coastline and the 45 acre marine preserve, along with archealogically significant sites.

All of the below are from http://www.hokulea.com/ 
*Mālama Honua is simply translated as “to care for our Island Earth”, but the Hawaiian language is beautiful and complex. Mālama Honua means to take care of and protect everything that makes up our world: land, oceans, living beings, our cultures, and our communities. It means learning from the lessons of islanders to take care of your limited resources, as though you were living on a canoe in the open ocean or an island in the middle of the sea. On a canoe, water, food, plants, and other basic needs are in limited supply and are tended to with great care; so too we must tend to our resources on islands, and for all of Island Earth.
**from http://www.hokulea.com/voyage/2017-hawaii-homecoming/
***Hokule'a will be there weather permitting - planting will go on regardless of weather.  All event times were sourced from the PVS website and are subject to change.