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Hawaii is celebrating big time with the return of the Hōkūle'a which will be joined by a contingent of canoes from Hawaii and the Pacific for its homecoming, including its sister vaka Hikianalia.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Community's Engagement Director Mehana Hind says leis have been made especially and indigenous chants created.
She says the voyages have been a unique opportunity to ensure traditional knowledge and skills of navigation survive.
"This voyage has really signalled the ushering in and passing on of knowledge from one generation to the next and we are really proud of the work that our va'akolua has done with many thousands of thousands of people who are inspired to look within and to care for their natural resources and to take care of those systems that are timeless."
She says there have been about 250 crew members sailing the Hokulea over the several years of travel and for the vaka's final leg two female navigators were at the helm.
The Hōkūle'a's apprentice navigator Jenni Ishii says crews have been made up of volunteers from all over the world.
"About every month or so a new crew would join and everyone is a volunteer and so we've had hundreds of people from all over the world and also a lot of crew members from Aotearoa and a lot of them are here this week because they have all been a part of this journey."
Jenni Ishii says one word to describe the experience is family because of the connections shared and the bonds created.
"It's based on the micronesian system of navigation and it has worked so well for the last 42 years now and yeah so when we are sailing in the Pacific it is 100 percent no instruments but in some of those places like India and off the coast of Africa, we have had to rely on GPS along the coast."
Hawaii Tourism spokesperson, Darragh Walshe says there are many events planned over several days to commemorate the end of a very long and important journey.
