Hokule‘a to say ‘mahalo’
to Marquesas

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

The Hokule'a's crew plans to set sail on a minicruise around the Marquesas Islands on Monday to say aloha and mahalo to their Polynesian cousins there.

The traditional voyaging canoe plans to stop at several islands, arriving in Hiva Oa Aug. 7 for a few days' layover. Then it's scheduled to set sail for the second leg of its historic voyage to Rapa Nui on Aug. 11-12.

"It's practice but it's also a cultural exchange," Cathy Eber of the Polynesian Voyaging Society said about the cruise. "They need to give mahalos to people there. It's culturally rude to pass by an island and not to say hello."

Following such Polynesian tradition is important to the Hokule'a, which has spent the last 25 years following the migration routes of the ancient Polynesian navigators, who settled every inhabited island in the Pacific.

Hokule'a to Rapa Nui
Jun. 7, 1999
Rapa Nui, the Loneliest Island
Jun. 14, 1999

Hokule'a crews sail the same way their ancestors did as well -- by following the stars, waves and other signs of nature rather than using navigational equipment.

The Hokule'a started its Rapa Nui voyage from Hilo on June 15 and arrived in Nuku Hiva 27 days later, covering about 2,875 miles.

The second leg of the voyage will sail to Mangareva, and the final leg to Rapa Nui. The Hokule'a will log about 4,600 miles by the time it arrives in Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, toward the end of the year.

Eber said a fresh crew has been cleaning and preparing the canoe for the second leg. The last cargo shipment of supplies will leave here tomorrow and arrive in the Marquesas on Aug. 9.

Meanwhile, Chad Baybayan, captain and navigator for the second leg, is studying the charts and putting the crew through safety drills with the escort boat.

Crew member Daniel Akaka, in charge of protocol, is teaching Hawaiian chants the crew will need to respond to welcome ceremonies at each island in the Marquesas. (Akaka is a relative of U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka.)

And the Hokule'a crew and Nuku Hiva residents have been preparing and sharing meals, Eber said.

The Rapa Nui voyage is the last of the century and completes the triangle of ancient migration routes followed by the canoe. The Rapa Nui leg will be the most difficult sail faced by the Hokule'a because it will be going against the wind.

The public can track the progress of the Hokule'a by looking on the World Wide Web site http://leahi.kcc.hawaii.edu/org/pvs/ Photographs from the Hokule'a are slated to be available at http://www.hokulea.net