After four months and more than 20 community engagements around the Hawaiian Islands for the Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail, traditional voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa is back home at the Marine Education Training Center at Sand Island for the holidays. The canoe was hauled out of the water on December 23rd for four-weeks of dry dock so the crew can clean, inspect and repair parts of the canoe before resuming the Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail in mid-January. Upcoming stops in 2025 include the following (dates and ports are weather permitting and subject to change):

Jan.18-24 – Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor)

Jan. 29-Feb.4 – Ko ʻOlina

Feb. 5-7 – Pōkaʻī

Feb. 8-14 – Maunalua (Hawaiʻi Kai & Koko Marina)

TBD – Hilo

Throughout December, Hōkūleʻa spent time along Koʻolaupoko on the Windward side of Oʻahu with stops and engagements at Heʻeia Kea Pier, Kāneʻohe, Kailua and Waimanalo. During that time, the crew conducted tours and educational presentations and activities with approximately 1,500 students. Hōkūleʻa also stopped at Waimea Bay on the north shore for the opening ceremony of The Eddie Big Wave Invitational In Memory of Eddie Aikau and the awarding of the inaugural Eddie Aikau Foundation Kahiau Award to lifeguard and Hōkūleʻa captain Noland Keaulana.

The Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail offers a special opportunity for Hawaiʻi’s communities to step on board the deck of Hōkūleʻa, learn about the revival of voyaging and traditional navigation and the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s mission of Mālama Honua (caring for our Island Earth).

The Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) is preparing to celebrate the 50th birthday of Hōkūleʻa on March 8, 2025. This milestone marks a half-century of cultural revival, environmental advocacy, and a renewed connection to the earth and ocean.

Photo Gallery: Hōkūleʻa Haul Out