Blog | Miki Tomita: What the Sunrise Brings

Written by Miki Tomita.

Watching this first sunset at sea as a voyaging crewmember on my first deep ocean crossing, my mind and heart say that Hōkūleʻa and the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage help set our sights on so much more.

We are finally out at sea!  The crew for the Sāmoa to Aotearoa leg of the Worldwide Voyage departed this morning from Pago Pago, American Sāmoa, headed toward Vavaʻu, Tonga.

Our waʻa first arrived in Pago Pago in August, guided by the crew of the Tahiti to Sāmoa leg of the Voyage.  The Sāmoa leg crew then sailed our waʻa to Apia for the United Nations SIDS conference, then back to Pago Pago.  Last week, our third Sāmoa crew began preparing to enter the realm of Kanaloa through extensive on-site training, ranging from protocol to safety to sail dynamics.

With the recent arrival and today’s departure of the current crew, the gracious and generous community of Pago Pago has now hosted three different groups of Worldwide Voyage crewmembers.   We’ve had the honor of meeting politicians, educators, community members, and most importantly young children to share the messages of Mālama Honua and our commitment to stewarding our Island Earth and our oceans.

As we gathered to pule together on the dock at Malaloa Harbor, we were joined by those who have welcomed us as family for our extended stay in beautiful Tutuila, as well as those we bring with us in our thoughts and hearts.  With our voices joined as one, we offered our words and prayers to commemorate our time together, to help send our crew on their way to Tonga.  Our sights are set on Vavaʻu, the first of three planned landfalls for this leg of the Voyage.

But the sail plan is so much more than that.

Watching this first sunset at sea as a voyaging crewmember on my first deep ocean crossing, my mind and heart say that Hōkūleʻa and the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage help set our sights on so much more – we are all part of a voyage for a better tomorrow for our Island Earth, one that brings us together as people of the ocean and land to tell our stories of caring for our earth and her people.

I look forward to what the sunrise brings.

Learn more about our crewmembers and the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage. Visit us and join our global movement towards a more sustainable Island Earth.