Hōkūleʻa’s Voyage to Tahiti (1976)
In 1976 the Hōkūleʻa, a replica of an ancient Hawaiian double-hulled canoe, sailed 4,400 km from Maui to Tahiti with no compass, charts or instruments. The Micronesian master navigator Mau Piailug steered by the stars, swells and birds, and 33 days later the crew sighted Mataiva in the Tuamotus. Seventeen thousand people met them at Papeete, and the voyage proved that Polynesians could have settled the Pacific deliberately.
4,463 km mapped5 stops34 days
Route Map of the Hōkūleʻa voyage
- Route from recorded positions
- Reconstructed or uncertain track
- 1Numbered stop (see the itinerary)
- Ship on the map: steamship (20th century)
Lines are drawn by YearMaps between the recorded stops, kept at sea around Natural Earth coastlines. They show the order and general track of the voyage, not the exact course steered. How the maps are made.
About the Hōkūleʻa voyage
Hōkūleʻa (Hawaiian pronunciation: [ˈhoːkuːleʔɐ]) is a performance-accurate waʻa kaulua, a Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe. Launched on 8 March 1975 by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, it is best known for its 1976 Hawaiʻi to Tahiti voyage completed with exclusively traditional navigation techniques. The primary goal of the voyage was to explore the anthropological theory of the Asiatic origin of native Oceanic people (Polynesians and Hawaiians in particular) as the result of purposeful trips through the Pacific Ocean, as opposed to passive drifting on currents or sailing from the Americas. DNA analysis supports this theory. A secondary project goal was to have the canoe and voyage "serve as vehicles for the cultural revitalization of Hawaiians and other Polynesians."
Between the 1976 voyage and 2009, Hōkūle‘a completed nine additional voyages to Micronesia, Polynesia, Japan, Canada and the mainland United States, all using ancient wayfinding techniques of celestial navigation.
From Wikipedia: Hōkūleʻa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Itinerary: 5 Stops
In order of the voyage. Numbers match the map; select a stop to show it there.
Honolua Bay, Maui
DepartureThe canoe leaves Maui heading south-east to make easting against the trade winds.
Doldrums
EventThe canoe drifts in calms and squalls. Mau keeps his reckoning in his head.
Crossing the equator
PassageThe navigator now steers by the southern stars.
Mataiva, Tuamotus
LandfallTerns flying home at dusk lead the crew to the atoll.
Papeete, Tahiti
ArrivalAbout 17,000 people, half the island’s population, greet the canoe.
Sources: Polynesian Voyaging Society and Ben Finney’s Hokule’a: The Way to Tahiti, via Wikipedia: Hōkūleʻa. The track is approximate.
Hōkūleʻa’s Voyage to Tahiti in Depth
Construction
Polynesian voyaging canoes were made from wood, whereas Hōkūle‘a incorporates plywood, fiberglass and resin. Hōkūle‘a measures 61 feet 5 inches (18.7 m) LOA, 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m) at beam, displaces 16,000 pounds (7,260 kg) when empty and can carry another 11,000 pounds (4,990 kg) of gear, supplies and 12 to 16 crew. Fully laden, with its 540-square-foot (50.2 m2) sail area, it is capable of speeds of 4 to 6 knots (5 to 7 mph; 7 to 10 km/h).
Wright Elemakule Bowman Sr., a Hawaiian master woodcarver had built the crossbars for the hull. The twin wood masts were built by LeVan Keola Sequeira. They are rigged either crab claw or Marconi style with a small jib. It is steered with a long paddle. It has no auxiliary motor. Its escort vessel tows it into harbor when necessary. Its name means "star of gladness" in Hawaiian, which refers to Arcturus, a guiding zenith star for Hawaiian navigators. Arcturus passes directly overhead at Hawaiʻi's latitude, helping sailors find the island.
Pius "Mau" Piailug
Hōkūle‘a navigates without instruments. In 1975, no living Hawaiian knew the ancient techniques for blue water voyaging. To enable the voyage, the Polynesian Voyaging Society recruited the Satawalese Master Navigator Mau Piailug (of the Weriyeng school in the Caroline Islands (map) of the Federated States of Micronesia (map)) to share his knowledge of non-instrument navigation. While as many as six Micronesian navigators had mastered these traditional methods as of the mid-1970s, only Mau was willing to share his knowledge.
Mau, who "barely spoke English", decided that by reaching beyond his own culture, sharing what had been closely guarded knowledge, he could possibly save it from extinction. Through this collaboration, Mau's mentorship helped "spark pride in the Hawaiian and Polynesian culture", leading to "a renaissance of voyaging, canoe building, and non-instrument navigation that has continued to grow, spreading across Polynesia (map) and reaching to its far corners of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Rapanui, Easter Island".
Inaugural voyage (1976)
Led by Captain Elia David Kuʻualoha "Kawika" Kapahulehua* and Navigator Pius "Mau" Piailug, a Carolinian master navigator*, Hōkūleʻa departed Honolua Bay, Maui, Hawaiʻi for Papeʻete, Tahiti, (voyage map) as part of the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. Mau navigated from Hawaii to Tahiti without instruments. Due to a conflict between crew members which escalated into physical violence, Mau abruptly returned home to Micronesia after reaching Tahiti. Hōkūleʻa had to be navigated back using western instruments (compass, nautical charts, sextant, chronometer, dividers, parallel rulers, pencil, nautical almanac).
On board the inaugural voyage was Hoku, a golden hair Hawaiian Poi Dog backbred by Jack L. Throp of the Honolulu Zoo. Razor-backed pigs and Polynesian chickens were also bred at the zoo for the voyage, but the director would not part with them at the last minute. Instead, the voyage hurriedly brought a white domesticated pig from Kōkeʻe, Kauai named Maxwell, and a cock and hen. The purpose of the animals was to study how to feed and care for these animals, which had been transported by the Polynesians during their voyages.
The crew for the return voyage was: Navigator: James "Kimo" Lyman; Captain: "Kawika" Kapahulehua; Crew: Abraham "Snake" Ah Hee, Andy Espirto*, Mel Kinney, Francis Kainoa Lee, Gordon Piʻianaiʻa, Leonard Puputauiki, Penny Rawlins, Keani Reiner*, Charles Nainoa "Nainoa" Thompson, Maka'ala Yates, Ben Young.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Hōkūleʻa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pictures of the Hōkūleʻa voyage
23 images from Wikimedia Commons. Select one to enlarge it.
Hōkūle`a, a modern Hawaiian wa'a kaulua or voyaging canoe, sailing off Honolulu, photo taken from onboard the Chinese junk Princess Taiping, January 22, 2009.HongKongHuey · CC BY 2.0 · Commons Priests traveling across kealakekua bay for first contact ritualsUser:Makthorpe · Public domain · Commons the grip of Hokule'a's portside steering sweepWaka moana · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Arrivée des pirigues Hòkūle'a et Alingano Maisu à Satawal en MicronésiePoro amara · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons A watertighte bucket of Hokule'a crewmemberWaka moana · CC BY 3.0 · Commons Bruce Blankenfeld receiving Traditional Pwo Navigator by Mau PialugPoro amara · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Canoe with sail at San Diego's Festival of Sail, 2011Michael R Perry · CC BY 2.0 · Commons Chief Miko aboard HokuleaPoro amara · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Chief Miko and navigators after traditional Pwo ceremonyPoro amara · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Chief Miko during Traditional Pwo Navigator ceremonyPoro amara · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Chief Miko full speed towards Satawal micronesia AtollPoro amara · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Chief Miko Surrounded by many Elders during traditional Navigation CeremonyPoro amara · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Hokule'a's compartmentWaka moana · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Memorial Plate of Eddie Aikau on Hokule'aWaka moana · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Hikianalia and Hōkūleʻa at Avatiu harbour, RarotongaNurg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Hikinalia (nearest camera) and Hōkūleʻa docked alongside New Zealand Maritime Museum, Auckland, photographed on 22 February 2026Paora · CC0 · Commons Thousands line the channel to welcome Hokule'a home to Honolulu from her 3 year Malama Honua worldwide voyage circumnavigating the globe on June 17, 2017.Matsujima · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Hokule'a arrival in Honolulu from Tahiti in 1976Phil Uhl · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons voyaging canoe Hokule'a at Suo Oshima channel, Yamaguchi, JapanWaka moana · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons ホクレア号宇和島湾入港Uwajima-taro · Public domain · Commons Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia at Avatiu harbour, RarotongaNurg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons The Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe moored at the Marine Education Training Center (METC) of Honolulu Community College in Honolulu Harbor.Tonitt · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons R5 Regional Forester Randy Moore enjoys one of the exhibits at the Homecoming Summit for the Hokulea voyaging canoe.Region 5 Photography · Public domain · Commons
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did the Hōkūleʻa voyage take?
It lasted 34 days, from 1 May 1976 to 4 June 1976.
How far did the Hōkūleʻa voyage travel?
The route as mapped here, through all 5 stops, is about 4,463 km (2,410 nautical miles). It follows the recorded stops at sea and is a reconstruction, so the true distance sailed was longer.
Who led the Hōkūleʻa voyage?
Navigator Mau Piailug; captain Kawika Kapahulehua, sponsored by Polynesian Voyaging Society.
What ship was used on the Hōkūleʻa voyage?
Hōkūleʻa (double-hulled voyaging canoe).
Where did the Hōkūleʻa voyage start and end?
It started at Honolua Bay, Maui (1 May 1976) and ended at Papeete, Tahiti (4 June 1976).
What did the Hōkūleʻa voyage achieve?
First voyage between Hawaiʻi and Tahiti in centuries navigated without instruments, reviving Polynesian wayfinding.