Last night at approximately 9:30 p.m. Tahiti time, the crew of Hōkūleʻa sighted distant lights on the horizon—marking their first visual confirmation of land since departing Hilo on June 3. By their calculations they determined it was the island of Rangiroa in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. They radioed the sighting to safety canoe Hikianalia, which confirmed Rangiroa, an island consistently found in the last several voyages.

Over the past few days, crew members had observed classic signs of nearing land, including the presence of land-nesting seabirds and changes in ocean patterns. These natural indicators, used by traditional Polynesian navigators for generations, confirmed that their journey across more than 2,000 nautical miles was drawing closer to its next chapter.

While Rangiroa was initially a planned stop, the timing of the landfall prompted a change in course. The voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will now continue directly to Taputapuātea on the island of Ra‘iātea—sacred homeland of Polynesian voyaging and a cultural cornerstone of the Pacific – where welcome ceremonies and protocol were planned for Monday, but will now be on Tuesday, June 24.

The sail from Hilo to French Polynesia spanned 18 days, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing Moananuiākea Voyage, a four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific to deepen ancestral connections and amplify the global call to mālama honua—care for Island Earth.

The canoes will remain in French Polynesia for approximately one month. Following ceremonies and engagements in Taputapuātea, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will voyage on to Tahiti, where a large welcome celebration is scheduled in Papeʻetē on Saturday, June 28.