Hokule‘a crew
getting ready to
tackle toughest
voyage yet

The Hawaiian canoe will
sail next summer to
tiny Rapa Nui

By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

AFTER nearly a quarter-century of retracing ancient migration routes in the South Pacific, the Polynesian Voyaging Society is planning its toughest voyage yet for the Hawaiian canoe Hokule'a and navigator Nainoa Thompson.

Thompson next summer will lead a crew of a dozen toward the island of Rapa Nui, a difficult task at best given the isolation and size of the small island -- about 2,300 miles west of Chile -- and because the canoe must sail against prevailing winds and currents during the entire trip.

Although the Hokule'a has traveled to other major Pacific island groups using way-finding or non-instrument navigation, including a maiden round-trip voyage to Tahiti, Thompson said the journey to Rapa Nui was put off because Hawaiian crews weren't experienced enough -- until now.

"We can no longer ignore not going," said Thompson, who spoke at an informational meeting yesterday at Bishop Museum.

The society's expedition to Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, will be from June 1999 to January 2000. The society wants to use the voyage to bring closure to Hokule'a's 25-year odyssey that began when it was launched off Windward Oahu in 1975.

The Hokule'a, the first modern replica of a voyaging canoe, is currently moored at the society's headquarters at Honolulu Harbor. The navigator and crew are expected to train for the trip until next February, after which Hokule'a will go into dry dock to prepare for the voyage.

According to the latest schedule, the Hokule'a will set sail June 1 from Hilo and sail southeast to the island of Nuku Hiva. From there, it heads south to Mangareva, where the crew then faces 1,450 miles of easterly currents and winds to get to Rapa Nui, an island just 15 miles long and 7 miles wide.

"We could arrive on a dark and rainy night and might sail past it ... ," Thompson said. "The more we start to try to figure out the best strategy (to get there), the more difficult it is."

THE Hokule'a is expected to stay a month at Rapa Nui before it heads toward Tahiti. If all goes as planned, it will return to Hawaii Jan. 3, 2000.

The society has developed a major education focus for the voyage, with a goal of reaching 100,000 students through projects related to the trip.

The society's Dennis Kawaharada said plans call for a virtual voyage to allow students to follow the Hokule'a in the classroom, with a Website focusing on society history, voyaging traditions and values, navigation, and sailing strategies.

The University of Hawaii's Center for Hawaiian Studies will set up a Website related to the cultural aspects of the voyage. Center Director Lilikala Kameeleihiwa said she hopes the site will let students research Hokule'a's ports of call before it arrives there.

Along with several other school projects, the society hopes to line up programs with National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.

Meanwhile, Mahina Rapu, a cultural representative from Rapa Nui who lives in Hawaii, said yesterday the island's 4,000 people are eager to welcome the Hokule'a.

Journeys into Polynesian history Here are the voyages sponsored by the Polynesian Voyaging Society between 1976 and 1995: 1976: Satawelese navigator Mau Piailug, with a Hawaiian crew, guided Hokule'a without instruments to Tahiti, a distance of 2,400 miles, and back. Piailug was called upon to navigate because no Hawaiian knew the ancient art of guiding canoes by celestial bodies and ocean swells. 1978: A voyage to Tahiti was canceled because Hokule'a swamped south of Molokai in heavy seas. One crew member, Eddie Aikau, who attempted to paddle on a surfboard to get help on land, was lost at sea. 1980: Nainoa Thompson, who studied under Piailug, became the first Hawaiian navigator in more than 500 years to guide a canoe to Tahiti and back without instruments. 1985-1987: The Voyage of Rediscovery: Hokule'a embarked on a 16,000-mile journey along the ancient migratory routes of the Polynesian Triangle. This voyage showed that it was possible for Polynesian canoes to sail from west to east in the Pacific when the prevailing easterly tradewinds were replaced by seasonal westerlies. 1992: No Na Mamo/For the Children: Hokule'a sailed from Hawaii to Rarotonga and back via Tahiti and Ra'iatea. Spring 1995: Na 'Ohana Moana/The Voyaging Family of the Vast Ocean: Voyaging canoes Hokule'a, Hawai'iloa and Makalii sailed from Hawaii to the Marquesas and back via Tahiti and Ra'iatea. Summer 1995: West Coast tour: Hokule'a and Hawai'iloa were shipped to Seattle. Hokule'a then traveled to San Diego to share the mana, or spiritual energy, of the canoe with Hawaiians, native Americans and others there. Hawai'iloa went from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska, to visit the land of the Tlingit, Haida and Tshimshian, who donated the logs for its hulls. June 1999-January 2000: Scheduled voyage from Hawaii to Rapa Nui and back. Source: Polynesian Voyaging Society.