Hokule’a and Hikianalia make landfall in Aotearoa
Hokulea crew members made landfall in Aotearoa on Monday.
The Hokule’a and Hikianalia have arrived in Opua, New Zealand around 10:30 a.m. Monday, according to Polynesian Voyaging Society.
Hokule’a and Hikianalia first sighted the North Island of Aotearoa Saturday around 7:30 a.m. in Hawaii.
It was the first time back to New Zealand for the Hokule’a, which was launched in 1975, in 29 years.
The Hikianalia was built in Aotearoa in 2012.
An arrival ceremony will be held in Waitangi on Friday (Saturday in Hawaii) at Te Tii Marae.
The crew reported the journey from Tonga tested the skills of the apprentice navigators with unfavorable winds, biting cold, and 100 percent cloud cover at night.
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Capt. Bruce Blankenfeld reported that “through each challenge they have proven themselves capable and ready to take on more kuleana.”
The two twin-hulled canoes left Hawaii May 30 on a 50,000-mile, three-year journey around the world.
It will be the first time the two canoes will leave the Pacific Ocean to sail in the Atlantic Ocean.
The two canoes have already made landfall in Tahiti, Society Islands, Cook Island, Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga.
The vessels will remain in the New Zealand area until through April.
