"That's why we sail. So our children can grow up and be proud of whom they are. We are healing our souls by reconnecting to our ancestors. As we voyage we are creating new stories within the tradition of the old stories, we are literally creating a new culture out of the old."

Nainoa Thompson, Pwo (Master) Navigator

Reviving a Proud Voyaging History

 The Canoe that Launched a Voyaging Renaissance

Hōkūleʻa is a replica of an ancient double-hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe, built and first launched in the 1970s. 

But Hōkūleʻa is much more than a voyaging canoe—she represents the common desire shared by the people of Hawaii, the Pacific, and the World to protect our most cherished values and places from disappearing. Without the canoe, the ancestors of the Polynesians would not have been able to cross the ocean and find their island homes. 

Though more than 600 years had passed since the last of these canoes had been seen, this dream brought together people of diverse backgrounds and professions. 

Star of Gladness

The canoe Hōkūle'a is named after one of the stars used for navigation. In the Hawaiian language, Hōkū means star and le’a means happiness, so Hōkūle’a translates to “Star of Gladness”. This bright yellowish star can be found in the sky by following the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper. It is a "zenith" star The diagram shows you how to find the Hōkūle’a (which is the Hawaiian name for the star known as Arcturus. 

Hōkūle’a travels across the sky directly over star the island of Hawai'i. It's called a zenith star for Hawai'i and is helpful for navigation.  A zenith star passes over every place that has the same latitude. (Optional: Look at a world map and find some other places that have Hōkūle’a as a zenith star.)

Mālama Honua

Children and adults in Hawai’i and across Polynesia have followed the voyages of Hōkūle’a over the past 40 years, feeling pride in each of the canoe's many accomplishments. From 2014-2017, Hōkūle’a sailed around the world in a voyage over three years. It traveled 60,000 nautical miles, stopping at over 150 ports and 23 countries and territories worldwide! The canoe carried a message of Mālama Honua, a Hawaiian phrase that means to care for our Island Earth.

This map traces Hōkūle'a's worldwide voyage.