On Dec. 12 the Hoki Mai voyaging crew made land on Motu Motiro Hiva after a three-day journey from Rapa Nui that spanned about 300 miles. Among them was Oahu’s Landon Opunui, the only Native Hawaiian among the crew of Chileans and Rapanuis.

Despite the language barriers between himself and the rest of the crew, their shared passion for paddling united them to successfully complete the challenging venture, Opunui said.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that really stretched me and helped me grow physically, emotionally, spiritually and culturally,” he said. “I think all of us feel very proud of what we were able to accomplish, paddling to Motu Motiro Hiva for the first time in modern history.”

Opunui, who also has already completed a handful of Ironman triathlons, has been paddling his whole life, although he’d never attempted anything as long or as “grueling” as the Hoki Mai, he said.

About six months ago, invitations for the voyage were sent out to paddlers across Hawaii, detailing the three goals for the voyage: to honor canoeing in Polynesia as an elite sport, to raise awareness on the accumulation of pollution in the waters surrounding Motu Motiro Hiva, and to raise awareness on gender equality and the importance of women.

The three goals deeply resonated with Opunui, who was eager to take part in the cultural immersion. As an executive director and medical director of a Native Hawaiian health care system, he said that the voyage also offered him the opportunity to further embody the lifestyle of fitness and health that he encourages in others.

Within minutes of receiving the invitation, he responded with his application and was later accepted.

Opunui continued with his usual year-round paddling regimen until about three months prior to the Hoki Mai, when he began amping up his training.

“I would get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, and I would train for three hours,” Opunui said. “Then I would train for another two hours in the afternoon, three or four days during the week.”

Rapa Nui had been closed to tourists for about two years, and had only reopened in August. Flights were fully booked, and Opunui’s only flight option allowed him to arrive 24 hours before the voyage. There a documentary crew met him at the airport and immediately began filming him.

It was a bit overwhelming, he said, but after meeting his fellow paddlers, he began to feel at peace as they set about the ceremonial protocol in preparation for their journey, he said.

The voyaging team comprised 18 people split into two teams of nine. They paddled in four-hour shifts. While the canoe required six paddlers, three from the on-duty team would rest on the Chilean navy boat accompanying the canoe and swap out for any team members requiring a break.

Throughout their voyage they carried a small, female moai statue with them, signifying the importance of women and gender equality.

They had nearly perfect ocean conditions, which he says wasn’t a coincidence.

“The Rapanui elders and many other people prayed for us and asked for safe crossing conditions,” he said. “So the ocean was literally like a flat lake for 300 miles.”

After about a total of 43 hours and 45 minutes, they made land at 9 a.m.

About 24 hours later they found themselves on their way back to Rapa Nui on the Chilean navy boat that had accompanied them there.

For Opunui the biggest takeaway from the experience was the importance of advocating for environmental impact policy changes, he said. He recalled the sight of abandoned water bottles as he explored Motu Motiro Hiva, some of which had even made their way there from China.

“The environmental impacts that Rapa Nui is facing is a microcosm of what Polynesia is facing,” he said. “We need to come together and have a shared voice about advocating for environmental impact policy change, because the entire world is impacting the health of the oceans in the Pacific.”

The voyage left Opunui inspired to one day coordinate an elite paddling voyage in Hawaii. He imagines the route to span over 600 miles and stretch from North Kohala to Mokumanamana, also known as Necker Island.

“It would be a feat that has never been accomplished before, showcasing paddlers throughout Polynesia as being elite-level endurance athletes,” he said. “It would be really neat if we could partner potentially with the Polynesian Voyaging Society and have the Hokule‘a join us on a journey such as this.”

Whatever the future holds, Opunui expressed his gratitude to have partaken in the Hoki Mai voyage, which he feels successfully advocated for each its goals.

“As the sole Hawaiian who had the honor of participating with some of the most elite paddlers of Rapa Nui and the Chilean navy, we all came together,” he said. “It was a moment of being proud for the accomplishments that we were able to collectively achieve.”

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Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.