“It took centuries for a place to get its name – it tells a story. It’s important to repeat these names and stories because they are about what happened here – they connect us to the land and people of earlier times,” said event volunteer Max Aiona.
The Hokule‘a arrived Tuesday night in San Diego, which will be its final stop in the United States leg of the Moananuiakea Voyage, according to a Polynesian Voyaging Society news release.
After San Diego, the canoe will be shipped back to Hawaiʻi where the Polynesian Voyaging Society will focus on training, education and planning until the Moananuiākea Voyage’s circumnavigation of the Pacific continues at a time that is yet to be determined.
As a result of the Maui wildfires, and potentially unprecedented weather patterns in the Pacific, Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO Nainoa Thompson announced Wednesday that the Hokule‘a will be diverting from its sail plan in December to make a stop back in Hawaii.