Hōkūlea & Hikianalia Officially Welcomed To Waitangi; Māori–Hawaiian Kinship And 40 Years Of Voyaging Unity Honoured

(Waitangi, Aotearoa) — The crews of Hōkūlea and Hikianalia were officially welcomed back to Waitangi last week by Te Tiriti o Waitangi Marae and the Te Tai Tokerau communities in a pōwhiri, a formal and sacred Māori welcoming ceremony that continues a 40-year relationship between Māori and Hawaiian voyagers.

The canoes arrived into Waitangi’s Te Tii Bay on Friday, November 14, at 2:00 p.m. NZST (Thursday, November 13, 3:00 p.m. HST), where they were greeted on the water by the famed Māori waka Ngā Toki Matawhaorua, the same war canoe that welcomed Hōkūlea during its historic first landfall in Aotearoa in 1985. That moment four decades ago marked the beginning of a powerful voyaging relationship between the Māori and Hawaiians.

Ceremonial Welcome at Te Tiriti o Waitangi Marae

Once safely anchored, the crew prepared to be ferried ashore on Ngā Toki Matawhaorua, but due to strong winds, they were instead brought to shore on another vessel. Upon landing, the crews were welcomed by traditional Māori chants and songs. In response, the Hōkūlea and Hikianalia crew offered “Auē Ua Hiti Ē,” a chant seeking permission to enter the land and acknowledging the hosts of the land.

Following the exchange of chants, the crew, Te Tai Tokerau community, and a delegation from Kamehameha Schools and Hawaii formed a procession from the beach to Te Tiriti o Waitangi Marae for the formal pōwhiri, which included karakia (prayers), speeches, cultural performances, presentation of pōhaku, and an awa ceremony.

Unveiling of New Hawaiian Poupou: Mauipāikalani

At sunrise the next morning, a ceremony was held to unveil Mauipāikalani (“Maui-who-reaches-towards-the-heavens”), a new Hawaiian poupou (carved post) representing the Hawaiian tribe Ngāti Ruawāhia at Te Tou Rangatira, a sacred site with an impressive line-up of ancestral posts, and where Māori chiefs had gathered to discuss and sign treaties of consequence.

The first Hawaiian pou, Māuipāmaomao (“Maui-who-reaches-across-the-furthest-extremities”), carved of ōhia by the late William Puou and erected in 1992, had stood for more than 30 years as a physical anchor for Hawaiians in Aotearoa. Weathered gently by time and the elements, it was ready to retire and return home to Hawaii.

The new pou, Mauipāikalani, was created in classic Hawaiian design by carver Jordan Souza and assistant Kepano Carvalho over six days and nights at Kā Uri in Awanui. The kauri log used for the carving, gifted by the Hekenukumai Busby Trust, once belonged to the late Sir Hector Busby, a Pwo Navigator and architect of the Māori voyaging renaissance. Tai Tokerau carvers Heemi Eruera and Billy Harrison, both closely tied to Sir Hector, prepared the log, supported the installation, and hosted the Hawaiian carvers during the creation of the pou.

Now standing among the pantheon of ancestral posts, Mauipāikalani is a symbol of Ngāti Ruawāhia and a promising future of unity and strength for Māori and Kānaka Maoli. Māuipāikalani will welcome Hawaiians who make the journey to the Far North for generations to come.

40th Anniversary Tribute to Hōkūlea’s 1985 Landfall

Following the unveiling, a commemorative ceremony marked 40 years since Hōkūlea’s 1985 landfall at Waitangi, a historic moment that ignited a resurgence of Māori voyaging and deepened bonds with Hawaii. The tribute honored three leaders whose vision shaped this shared legacy:

Sir James Henare, esteemed Māori elder

Sir Hector Busby, Pwo Navigator and Māori voyaging pioneer

Myron “Pinky” Thompson, former PVS president and father of Nainoa Thompson

When Hōkūlea first made landfall in Aotearoa in 1985, the canoe was welcomed at Waitangi. That moment helped spark a Māori voyaging renaissance and forged a special kinship between Hawaii and Aotearoa. The Hawaii crew were bestowed the name Ngāti Ruawāhia by Sir James Tau Henare, leader of the time of Te Tii Marae. He declared the Hōkūlea crew as the "sixth tribe" of the Te Tai Tokerau region, similar to the five tribes who had arrived by canoe centuries before. The celebration featured cultural performances and remarks from:

Nainoa Thompson, PVS CEO and Navigator

Bernard Henare, son of Sir James Henare

Māori navigators Stanley Conrad (Hekenukumai Ngāiwi Trust), Jack Thatcher (Te Kura Waka), and Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr (Te Toki Voyaging Trust)

Canoes Depart Waitangi for Auckland

Hōkūlea and Hikianalia departed Waitangi yesterday and are expected to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, continuing their Aotearoa engagements as part of the Moananuiākea Voyage.

Extended Stay and Future Ports of Call

Hōkūlea and Hikianalia will remain in Aotearoa for six months, which will allow the canoes to wait out the South Pacific hurricane season before continuing the Moananuiākea Voyage. During this time, the canoes will be hauled out for dry dock repairs and maintenance. The current plan is also for Hōkūlea and Hikianalia to depart Aotearoa in April or May 2026, sailing on to Tonga, Samoa, and American Samoa, followed by Melanesia and Micronesia in the latter part of the year.

Air travel for the crew at the start and completion of each leg is made possible by the support of Hawaiian Airlines, a lead sponsor and long-time supporter of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and its Moananuiākea Voyage.

Further details about the canoes’ schedule and community engagements in Aotearoa will be announced as they are confirmed. For the latest updates on the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the Moananuiākea Voyage, follow PVS’s social media: @hokuleacrew on Facebook and Instagram. The live voyaging tracking map and updates can also be found at www.hokulea.com.

About the Polynesian Voyaging Society

Founded in 1973, the Polynesian Voyaging Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to perpetuating the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through education. Through its legendary canoe Hōkūlea and her sister canoe Hikianalia, PVS inspires learning grounded in culture and sustainability to help steward Island Earth.

© Scoop Media