Hokule‘a off to Rhode Island
PHOTOS COURTESY OIWI TV / POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY
The crew members of the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokule‘a got their last view of the New York skyline — punctuated by the city’s tallest structure, One World Trade Center — on Saturday as the vessel headed toward its next stop at Rhode Island’s Block Island.
PHOTOS COURTESY OIWI TV / POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY
The Hokule‘a’s ki‘i wahine is lashed to the port hull. The ki‘i kane, meanwhile, is tied to the starboard hull; the ki‘i represent the spirit of the islands.
Following their historic visit to New York for the World Oceans Day celebration at the United Nations, the crew of the Hokule‘a left Newport, N.J., on Saturday en route to Block Island in Rhode Island.
The legendary voyaging canoe, which arrived in New York on June 5, was one of the highlights of World Oceans Day events on June 8, its history and purposes aligning well with the event’s theme of “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet.”
At a ceremony at Gantry Plaza State Park, master navigator Nainoa Thompson presented ocean protection declarations and messages of hope collected by Hokule‘a crew members during their worldwide journey to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Gyan Chandra Acharya, U.N. undersecretary-general, and Palau President Tommy Remengesau.
While in New York, the crew participated in a series of community engagement events and competed in the Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge outrigger canoe race.
The crew will spend the next several weeks traveling through New England and taking part in public events.
Since leaving Hawaii in May 2014, Hokule‘a has traveled more than 23,000 nautical miles and made stops in 12 countries and 55 ports.
