Hokule‘a is a full-scale replica of a wooden sailing vessel used in ancient Hawai'i. Its name means "star of gladness" in Hawaiian, and the name refers to the star Arcturus, which falls directly overhead at Hawai‘i's latitude.

It was built in 1975 by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and is best known for its 1976 voyage from Hawai‘i to Tahiti, performed without modern navigational instruments. Since then Hokule‘a has completed seven voyages to various destinations in Polynesia and the United States, all using ancient wayfinding techniques.

When it is not on a voyage, Hokule‘a is moored at the Hawaii Maritime Center in Honolulu Harbor.

List of voyages

• 1976: Hokule‘a, led by Satawalese navigator Mau Piailug , traveled from Hawai‘i to Tahiti and back.
• 1978: A second attempted voyage to Tahiti was aborted when the canoe swamped south of the island of Moloka‘i.
• 1980: Native Hawaiian Navigator Nainoa Thompson recreated the 1976 voyage, becoming the first Native Hawaiian in modern times to guide a canoe without instruments.
• 1985: Known as the Voyage of Rediscovery, Hokule‘a traveled a total distance of 16,000 miles to various destinations in Polynesia.
• 1992: Hokule‘a sailed to Rarotonga and back via Tahiti. The voyage included an educational component where Hawaii students could track the progress of the canoe through daily radio reports.
• 1995 spring: Hokule‘a, along with sister ships Hawai‘iloa and Makali‘i, sailed from Hawaii to the Marquesas Islands and back via Tahiti.
• 1995 summer: Hokule‘a and Hawai‘iloa sailed the West Coast of the United States from Seattle to San Diego.
• 1999: Hokule‘a sailed from Hawaii to Rapa Nui and back.
• 2004: Hokule‘a's most recent voyage took place in June 2004, when navigator Thompson led a training voyage through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Resources

• Honolulu Advertiser Hokule'a Voyage Special