Welcome Home: After Three Years at Sea, the Hōkūle‘a Returns to O‘ahu

Tens of thousands of people lined the docks at Ala Moana Beach Park on June 17 to celebrate the end of its worldwide voyage.

photo: matt heirakuji (@mattkuji)

As the kilihune rain blessed the crowd, the red sails of the Hōkūle‘a glided across the water and into the port alongside Magic Island on June 17. After three years, about 40,300 nautical miles and 150 international ports, the Hōkūle‘a, the lei ka‘apuni honua—lei around the world—returned safely home. “We had no idea what we would encounter,” says Nainoa Thompson, the Polynesian Voyaging Society President and pwo (master) navigator. “But what is more dangerous—a pirate, or staying tied to the dock because you don’t believe you can go?”

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