After more than a week of preparing the canoes and waiting for a favorable weather window, the voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia departed Bora Bora yesterday and are now bound for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Depending on weather conditions, the canoes could arrive as early as Tuesday. Hōkūleʻa is navigated by Kaʻiulani Murphy, a veteran navigator with more than 30 years experience. Departure from Bora Bora marks the end of a roughly 6-week stay in the islands of French Polynesia.

Weather has been challenging, delaying departure and extending the canoes’ and crews’ time in Bora Bora. Before departure, winds were shifting and suddenly strengthening, which required the crew to move Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia to another dock for their departure. While at the Faʻanui Bay dock, the crew visited and gave offerings at the ancient marae Farerua, continuing a long tradition of honoring ancestral connections before sailing into the deep ocean.

While in Bora Bora, the crew was also welcomed into the island’s sacred places. The island, also known as Pora Pora — Tahitian for “firstborn” — is said to be the first island in all creation. At the southernmost tip of Motu To’opua-iti, the crew visited Tumu Iti, a divine stone symbolizing the beginning of the earth and representing the spirit of the god Taaroa. Considered the pinnacle of the universe, the crew conducted a water ceremony there, pouring fresh water into the sea and collectively weaving a long ti-leaf lei to drape around the sacred rock.

They also visited a turtle sanctuary near the Bora Bora Westin Hotel, which has rescued more than 750 turtles since opening in 2000. Traveling further inland, the crew explored Bora Bora’s mountains and learned the stories of its landscapes. At one site, they viewed an old World War II cannon and heard how Bora Bora was used as a refueling and rest station for American soldiers, doubling the island’s population during the war. Their guide shared that Bora Bora was remembered as a place of peace and love in a time of global conflict.

The crew also visited sacred sites in the mountains, where, as their guide explained, the spirits of the ancestors live on in the names of the pōhaku. Captain Bruce Blankenfeld reflected that in saying those names, the kūpuna continue to walk the land. Among the towering peaks is Mataihuvaʻa — “the eyes and nose of the canoe.” The story tells of the cockroach twins Tofai and Tefai, who warned the warrior Tapati about an invading canoe. From the mountain, Tapati threw his spear so forcefully that it broke off the canoe’s nose, which flew into the peak and remains as stone to this day.

The departure was marked by a heartfelt farewell from the community. The Mayor of Bora Bora joined the crew at the harbor, where speeches and gifts were exchanged. The send-off carried both joy and sadness — joy in the bonds built and experiences shared, and sadness in the goodbyes.

Rarotonga, Cook Islands, will be the final destination for the Moananuiākea Voyage leg 14 crew, which began in Tautira, Tahiti more than two weeks ago.

Photo Gallery: Bora Bora Departure

Photo Gallery: Cultural Site Visits