Bus, bikes, shuttles suggested for those greeting Hokule‘a
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hokule‘a crew member Kealoha Hoe, left, and Mike Higgins, homecoming site manager, on Thursday examined the temporary pier set up at Magic Island for the voyaging canoe’s return.
Officials estimate as many as 50,000 people will descend on Magic Island on Saturday to welcome the voyaging canoe Hokule‘a back to Oahu, and with on-site parking limited they recommend TheBus, shuttles and bicycles as alternative transportation.
Park grounds open at 4 a.m., organizers say, and traditional Pacific sailing canoes are expected to start arriving around 7 a.m. offshore near the Ala Wai Boat Harbor, on the Waikiki side of Magic Island. No general parking will be available at Magic Island, and nearby spaces on Ala Moana Park Drive are expected to fill quickly.
| HOKULE’A DAY
Pop-up tents will be allowed only around the perimeter of Magic Island’s multipurpose field. There will be no canoe tours or entry onto the Hokule’a on Saturday. Participating vendors will use compostable items and will not offer single-use plastics. Don't miss out on what's happening!Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
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Attendees are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles. Source: Polynesian Voyaging Society |
At 6 a.m. free parking will open at McKinley High School, and $10 parking at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Free shuttles will run between Magic Island and both those sites from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will offer free parking and first-come, first-served shuttle service from the former Fisherman’s Wharf site at Kakaako Makai, the Maili Learning Center in Maili, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in Kapolei, Windward Community College in Kaneohe and Stevenson Middle School in Makiki.
Reservations for the OHA shuttle must be booked online at oha.org/hokuleahomecoming. The OHA shuttles will leave those sites at 7 a.m. and return at 5 p.m., according to the agency.
The Hawaii Bicycling League will offer a free bicycle valet for bike storage from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Magic Island.
Those interested in taking the bus should visit thebus.org.
The crowd Saturday is expected to rival that of Magic Island’s annual Lantern Floating Hawaii event and its Fourth of July fireworks display. Because views will be limited, organizers say they will have a large screen and speaker system to share the morning arrival ceremony and afternoon live music with attendees.
The Hokule‘a is returning to Hawaii after a three-year, worldwide journey.
