A big celebration is being planned for H?k?le?a’s homecoming at Magic Island a week from Saturday – marking the end of the M?lama Honua voyage. Meanwhile, the crews of the H?k?le?a and Hikianalia are still making their way through the Central Pacific towards home. We checked in with navigator Ka?iulani Murphy for a final update.
Everything’s going wonderfully, since we left from Tautira, from Tahiti, and sighted our islands in the Tuamotus. Everyone has been working as a great team, you know a great ?ohana out here take care of each other. We’ve had great weather. We just kind of came through the ITCZ, or the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, where we had some cloudy nights. But even leading up to that we had some great, clear, starry nights. Last night, the sky opened up for us around 2 in the morning. Everyone’s real stoked to just be out here and enjoying our time with our mama wa?a H?k?le?a.
Mahalo for everyone back home. We’re just 13 people on H?k?le?a right now, another 6 on the Gershon, and then the crews of Hikianalia and at least 13 from Hawaii. And we have some of our Hawaii crew members on the Faafaite voyaging canoe. But really if it wasn’t for everyone’s help and support back home making this voyage possible, and then allowing each of us as individuals to be here to represent all of them back home, and for everyone that’s been supporting and moving along with this voyage we just really appreciate their support. And I think it’s showing how we are still connected by what we value. And the ocean is one of those things we can all have a love for no matter where we are. We can all have a part in taking care of it, and realizing that this one blue planet that we all live on we all have the kuleana to be caring for it. So for everyone that has been following and supporting this M?lama Honua voyage, just have a lot of mahalo. And look forward to seeing everyone celebrating H?k?le?a coming home.
Picture Credit: ??iwi TV / N???lehu Anthony
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