Photo Below: Polynesian Canoes Gathered in Taiohae Bay, Nukuhiva, 1995 (Monte Costa)

The 1995 Voyage to the Marquesas, called Na 'Ohana Holo Moana ("The Voyaging Familes of the Ocean") carried on the work of the 1992 voyage--training new crew members and navigators, sharing voyaging traditions across the Pacific, and re-connecting Polynesian peoples through the heritage of the canoe. On the voyage from Tahiti and the Marquesas to Hawai'i, Hokule'a was joined by five canoes, Hawai'iloa and Makali'i from Hawai'i, the Maori canoe Te Aurere, and two Cook Islands canoe, Takitumu and Te Au o Tonga.

The prelude to this voyage was the building of Hawai'iloa (1990-1994), a project designed to recover canoe-building arts and strengthen community in a joint effort to fashion a canoe entirely from native natural materials. The project faltered at first because of a startling discovery: there were no koa trees left in Hawai'i's forests large enough to build voyaging canoes. This alarming condition led to a new level of awareness about the interdependence of culture and environment and a commitment to malama Hawai'i--take care of our island home. It also created another bridge across the Pacific--from Hawai'i to Alaska, whose native people offered the people of Hawai'i a gift of logs.

Nainoa Thompson: Recollections of the Building of Hawai'iloa and the 1995 Voyage to Nukuhiva

Maps: (1) the 1995 voyage to Nukuhiva and back (color); (2) the 1995 voyage to Tahiti (black and white); (3) The 1995 Voyage to Tahiti (Hokule'a and Hawai'iloa), with reference courses; (4) The 1995 Voyage Home (Hokule'a, Hawai'iloa, and Makali'i), with reference courses.

Sam Low: "Sacred Forests": The Story of the Logs for the Hulls of Hawai'iloa

Ben Finney: "Sin at Awarua": On Taputapuatea

Sam Low: "Sailing the Star Paths: 1995 Voyage from Tahiti to Hawaii"

Background of the Voyage to Nukuhiva

Daily Reports from the Voyage (Feb.-May 1995)

Isles of Hiva (Marquesas Islands): Notes on the Geography, Language, Archaeology, History, and Ethnography of the Isles of Hiva; Bibliography included.

For a filmmaker's version of the 1995 voyage to Nukuhiva, see "Wayfinders: a Pacific Odyssey", a PBS website in conjunction with an hour-long film by Maiden Voyage Production (Gail Evenari).