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< Leg 4: Sāmoa 2014 Aotearoa >

Leg 5: Samoa to Aotearoa

< Leg 6: Waitangi to Auckland

< 2014 Aotearoa

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia leg 5 crewmembers, which included two Maori voyagers from Aotearoa, sailed approximately 1,500 nautical miles through the Pacific Ocean from Samoa before reaching their destination in Aotearoa. These crewmembers were a part of a journey that returns Hōkūleʻa to Aotearoa for the first time since 1985. Hikianalia, which was built in Aotearoa in 2012, will be returning to her “birthplace.”

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia arrived in Aotearoa in November, with a celebration for the arrival in Waitangi. The arrival of the canoes to the region commemorated nearly thirty years since Hōkūleʻa’s first voyaged to Waitangi in 1985. In Waitangi, Māori elders are known to trace back the genealogy of all Māori people in Aotearoa to five voyaging canoes. Upon Hōkūleʻa’s arrival in 1985, Māori leaders recognized Hōkūle‘a as the sixth canoe carrying the sixth tribe, connecting the crew to the Māori people. As a celebration of the last voyage to Aotearoa and the current voyage, this leg of the Mālama Honua voyage celebrated the theme, “Nā Waka: A Tribe Returning Home.”

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Crewmember Roster

Hōkūle‘a

Bruce Blankenfeld

Bruce Blankenfeld

Pwo Navigator

PVS Member since 19771031

Kalisi Mausio

Kalisi Mausio

Tonga Cultural Representative

PVS Member since 20091031

Suzette Hau’oli Smith-Gurtler

Suzette Hau’oli Smith-Gurtler

First Mate

PVS Member since 19921031

Kaʻiulani Murphy

Kaʻiulani Murphy

Watch Captain

PVS Member since 19971031

Kaleo Wong

Kaleo Wong

Navigation student

PVS Member since 19991031

Melvin “Mel” Paoa

Melvin “Mel” Paoa

Medical Liaison

PVS Member since 19771031

George Keoki Pescaia

George Keoki Pescaia

Crewmember

PVS Member since 20031031

Wallace Wong

Wallace Wong

Electrician

PVS Member since 19921031

Mahina Hou Ross

Mahina Hou Ross

Education Specialist

PVS Member since 19981031

Pomai Bertelmann

Pomai Bertelmann

Education Specialist

Nicholas Kaipara Marr

Nicholas Kaipara Marr

Maori Cultural Representative

PVS Member since 20021031

John Webster Thatcher (Jacko)

John Webster Thatcher (Jacko)

Maori Cultural Representative

PVS Member since 19941031

Nāʻālehu Anthony

Nāʻālehu Anthony

Media Specialist

PVS Member since 19951031

Kaniela Hoku Lyman-Mersereau

Kaniela Hoku Lyman-Mersereau

Co-Captain, Navigation Team

PVS Member since 20081031

Frank “Frankie” Kawe

Frank “Frankie” Kawe

Maori Cultural Representative

PVS Member since 19951031

Moani Keala Heimuli

Moani Keala Heimuli

Watch Captain

PVS Member since 20071031

Hikianalia

Robert “Bob” Perkins

Robert “Bob” Perkins

Senior Captain

PVS Member since 20001031

Ryan Hanohano

Ryan Hanohano

Watch Captain

PVS Member since 20131031

Nicole “Niki” Puʻuwailani Kamalu

Nicole “Niki” Puʻuwailani Kamalu

Electronic Technician

PVS Member since 20091031

Mark Ellis

Mark Ellis

Captain

PVS Member since 20071031

Keli Takenaga

Keli Takenaga

Quartermaster

PVS Member since 19951031

Darienne Dey

Darienne Dey

Safety Officer

PVS Member since 20121031

Heather Nahaku Kalei

Heather Nahaku Kalei

Watch Captain

PVS Member since 20091031

Kekaimalu Lee

Kekaimalu Lee

Cultural Protocol

PVS Member since 20131031

Catherine “Cat” Fuller

Catherine “Cat” Fuller

Watch captain

PVS Member since 19941031

Miki Kiyomi Tomita

Miki Kiyomi Tomita

Education Specialist

PVS Member since 20131031

Steve Granada

Steve Granada

Medical Officer

PVS Member since 20121031

Justyn “Kaʻolonā” Ah Chong

Justyn “Kaʻolonā” Ah Chong

Documentation

PVS Member since 20121031

Saki Uchida

Saki Uchida

Assistant Quartermaster

PVS Member since 20071031

Toiora Hawira

Toiora Hawira

Katherine “Kat” Lobendahn

Katherine “Kat” Lobendahn

Tonga Cultural Representative

PVS Member since 20121031

Stories, Blogs, and Galleries from this Leg:

More from this voyage leg
  • Crew Blog | Pomai Bertelmann: Time for a Cool Change

    November 26, 2014 in
    • Crew Blogs
    In one breath, we are reminded that we are kanaka honua. men of the land, and that there is a point after our time on the ocean when we must return home.
  • Update | Opua School Visit

    November 17, 2014 in
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Updates
    Crewmembers learn how students at Opua School in Aotearoa mālama honua through their award-winning gardens.
  • Photo Gallery | Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia Welcomed to Waitangi

    November 15, 2014 in
    • Featured
    • Photo Galleries
    Nearly 30 years after her first arrival, Hōkūleʻa returns to Waitangi, Aotearoa as the sixth tribe of Tai Tokerau.
  • Update | Waiting for Waitangi

    November 13, 2014 in
    • Updates
    Hōkūleʻa Watch Captain Pōmai Bertlemann provides an update on the crew and canoes as they prepare for the Waitangi ceremony on November 15, 2014.
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Phone: (808) 842-1101
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