Updates
Moananuiākea Voyage | July 2026 Sail Plan Update
“Nature is telling us what to do. We go when nature allows us to go, when nature gives us permission to go. And I do think our ability to be sailing for 50 years was being disciplined to that.”
– PVS CEO and Pwo Navigator Nainoa Thompson on new changes to the Moananuiākea Voyage Sail Plan.
The Polynesian Voyaging Society today announced a revised schedule for the Western Pacific portion of the Moananuiākea Voyage in response to confirmed elevated weather risks caused by El Niño and our changing climate. The revision will add one year to the Moananuiākea Voyage.
Over the next 17 months, the canoes will visit Fiji (October 2026) to participate in the Pre-COP international ocean and climate meetings, which precede the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP), then make return visits to Aotearoa, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. Additional planned stops in 2027 will include American Sāmoa, Sāmoa, Tonga, the region of Melanesia and Micronesia. In early 2028, the canoes will depart Micronesia and head to the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea.
A Tribute to Grand Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur
“In my mind, I see him in the cosmos beside his father Mau, among the stars that guide our canoes across the great ocean.”
From Nainoa Thompson and the Polynesian Voyaging Society
On behalf of the entire voyaging family, we extend our deepest love, aloha, and heartfelt condolences to Sesario’s beloved wife, Florentine, his children, his grandchildren, the people of Satawal, and the entire genealogy of the School of Weriyeng.
We will never forget Sesario. We will remember his humility, his wisdom, his generosity, and his lifelong devotion to the ocean and to humanity. His legacy lives on in every canoe that sails, every navigator who teaches, every child who learns to look to the stars, and every voyage that continues because he ensured the way would never be lost.
PVS Joins World Oceans Day Events as French Polynesia Expands Ocean Protections
(PVS) CEO and Pwo Navigator Nainoa Thompson and fellow PVS representatives traveled to French Polynesia earlier this month at the invitation of President Moetai Brotherson and the Government of French Polynesia to participate in World Oceans Day events held June 7-8, and to support efforts to advance ocean protection across Oceania.
50 Years Ago Today, Hōkūleʻa Makes Landfall In Papeʻete, Tahiti.
50 years ago today, Hōkūleʻa’s maiden voyage to Tahiti ended with a greeting by an estimated 17,000 people at Papeʻete. Guided by Master Navigator Mau Piailug of Satawal, Micronesia, this was the first voyage of a Polynesian long-distance deep-sea voyaging canoe in 600 years. What began as a bold vision to prove the voyaging achievements of our ancestors became a defining moment for Hawaiʻi and all of Polynesia.
Moananuiākea Voyage | 2026 Update
“To me, this is not a delay. It’s not a setback. To me, it’s a stepping stone of learning.”
– PVS CEO and Pwo Navigator Nainoa Thompson on new changes to the Moananuiākea Voyage Sail Plan.
Pacific Voyaging and Ocean Leaders Convene in Rapa Nui to Strengthen Cultural Connections and Advance Ocean Protection
The convening brought together voyaging leaders, scientists, ocean experts, cultural practitioners, community leaders and government representatives from across the Pacific to strengthen ancestral relationships, share voyaging knowledge and collaborate on ocean conservation initiatives with a particular focus on the high seas.
PVS Announces Japan Stops In 2027 As Part of The Moananuiākea Voyage!
Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa will visit Japan for the first time in 20 years!
Polynesian Voyaging Society and Kamehameha Schools Complete Cultural Exchange and Site Visits Across Taiwan in Preparation for 2027 Arrival of Hōkūleʻa
(Taipei, Taiwan) — A delegation from the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) and Kamehameha Schools (KS) recently concluded a 10-day cultural exchange...
Polynesian Voyaging Society Honors the 50th Anniversary of Hōkūleʻa’s 1976 Maiden Voyage to Tahiti.
This year, the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) commemorates a defining moment in Hawaiʻi’s history: the 50th Anniversary of the maiden voyage of...