Kaleohano Farrant, Hikianalia Crew Member

Leg 16 – Aotearoa to Fiji

–

Most of our Leg 16 crew for Hikianalia and Hōkūle’a arrived in Auckland on Monday night, and the next morning I woke to my first birthday in Aotearoa. After breakfast, we checked on the wa’a, prepared supplies, and started safety training for the voyage ahead, which we hope will proceed as planned in the coming weeks. We are blessed with many friends in Aotearoa who have been watching the wa’a and helping us to prepare. 

I was born on this amazing planet 28 years ago, a planet that is very much the same in one sense but also dramatically different in another and rapidly changing each year. We all have Hawai’i on our minds as strong storms pass our islands after an already-challenging year of weather. We hope that these storms are rare but know that they will likely be more common in the future as our oceans continue to warm. 

It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of a changing climate and the economic engines that drive it. I know that’s how I often feel. Small positive actions help me to feel empowered, and through voyaging, we hope to inspire people around the world to hold onto hope for a better future and to take action in their communities.

When our crew returned to our house for the night, we had one more job for the day: packing rice into bags for our voyage provisions. The room was overflowing with conversation and laughter as we made our assembly line. After dinner, the lights turned off and a few crew members came into the room carrying a cake, singing “Happy Birthday.” I smiled and laughed to their tune, made my wish, and blew out my candles. 

As the sun rises today, I know this joy will remain because it really wasn’t my birthday that made it such a good day. It was being in a community of people who care deeply for each other and this Earth, working towards common goals and guided by shared values. I won’t tell you what I wished for when I blew out my birthday candles, but I will tell you this: there are few better places to be than packing rice for one of life’s many voyages with people that you love.