Hōkūleʻa Update–Nearing Australia | May 8, 2015

English

Aloha ahiahi kākou! This is Kaleo Manuiwa Wong from the deck of the waʻa kaulua (double-hulled) canoe Hōkūleʻa in the Tasman Sea. After leaving Mangonui, New Zealand and traveling eight full days and about 700 miles, we are right outside our first destination–the small island of Lord Howe. It is 310 miles away from Australia. It’s out here by itself. We had to go through some challenging weather conditions to get here, lots of overcast skies and an inability to see the sun, stars, and moon. But sighting land today is a reaffirmation that the system, skills, and naʻauao of our kupuna and ʻaumakua guiding us on this canoe to find islands like this works, and has allowed transmission from a master navigator down to people like Nainoa and Uncle Bruce.  They continue passing down knowledge and information so that we can carry on this tradition and culture of voyaging to find little islands across thousands of miles of open ocean. Everybody onboard is happy to see and feel the magic of Hōkūleʻa finding these islands, guided by our ancestors. And we look forward to a couple more days of sailing until we arrive in Australia. Thanks for following us and please continue to follow us at www.Hokulea.com, aloha!

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

Aloha kākou e nā makamaka nānā mai. Eia nō kahi hoa kipa ou, ʻo ka manu ʻiwa lewa i ka moana nui ākea. Ma Hōkūleʻa nō hoʻi mākou e holo ana. I kēia kakahiaka ua ʻike i ka manu, ka pūʻulu manu he nui. Ua nui nā manu i hoʻokahi pūʻulu manu, ma kahi o hoʻokahi haneli manu. No laila he hōʻike, he hōʻailona ia ua kokoke kekahi ʻāina iā mākou. Ua kokoke mākou i kekahi ʻāina. I ka wanaʻao ʻana o ka lā i kēia kakahiaka, ka mahiki ʻana aʻe, ua nui nā manu i ʻō a i ʻaneʻi, ʻaʻole hoʻokahi pūʻulu wale nō. He mau pūʻulu manu a he mau manu e lele ana i ʻō a i ʻaneʻi. A i nānā aku ka hana, huli aku, nānā, aia lā he ʻāina, he moku ʻāina e kū nei i ka moana. ʻO ia nō ʻo Lord Howe. No laila ua ʻimi a ua loaʻa kēia wahi waʻa. Na nā kūpuna, nā ʻaumākua, a me nā akua i alakaʻi ai, i alakaʻi i kēia wahi waʻa. Pēlā nō e loaʻa ai kēia waʻa iā Lord Howe, a pēlā nō e loaʻa ʻo Lorde Howe i kēia waʻa. He wahi mahalo kēia iā lākou no ka alakaʻi mau ʻana iā mākou ma kēia wahi papahana kilo hōkū hoʻokele waʻa. E like me nā kūpuna, pēlā nō e holo aku ai lākou mai iā Kahiki aku a i Hawaiʻi a i ʻō a i ʻaneʻi o ka moana nui ākea. A pēlā nō e holo mau ana mākou, ma o ka alakaʻi, ka nānā ʻana mai i nā kūpuna i ke ʻano o ka holo ʻana. A ua hōʻoia, ua hōʻike mai i ko lākou nani, akamai, naʻauao nō hoʻi, i ka loaʻa nō o kēia wahi ʻāina liʻiliʻi ma ka moana nui ākea. He wahi mea liʻiliʻi wale nō. Nui ka mile mai iā Aotearoa mai a i kēia ʻāina ʻo Lord Howe. He wahi mahalo kēia iā lākou a he lā hauʻoli, he lā pōmaikaʻi ka ʻike ʻia o kēia wahi ʻāina ʻo Lord Howe. Aia ia ma hope oʻu i kēia manawa, ʻaʻole paha hiki ke ʻike ʻia. Hilinaʻi mai, aia ia ma ʻō ala. Eia nō mākou ke noke nei i ka holo ʻana i Nūhōlani, i ʻAukekulelia a e pae aku i laila i ʻelua, ʻekolu paha lā. ʻO ia, ʻo ia wale nō ka hopena o kēia wahi huakaʻi i ʻAukekulelia. Mahalo no ka hāhai mau ʻana mai iā mākou, a he wahi leo aloha iā ʻoukou e nā poʻe kūpaʻa i ke aloha ʻāina. Eia nō mākou ka poʻe kūpaʻa i ke aloha kai, a me ka mākia o ka mālama honua. A he wahi leo aloha kēia i ka ipo nohea o ka pō laʻi o Konahuanui, i ka ua kapuaʻi o kānaka o palawai nō hoʻi. Aloha nui iā ʻoe. Aloha.

Please help keep us sailing for future generations. All contributions make a difference for our voyage. Mahalo nui loa!