Imiloa, Hilo Attractions | Te Mana O Te Moana, Pacific Voyagers

Courtesy Samoan Voyaging Society

Te Mana o Te Moana, "The Spirit of the Sea"

Sailplan

When                                                  Where
19/04/11 — 16/05/11                         At sea: Auckland - Fakarava
17/05/11 — 20/05/11                         On shore: Fakarava
21/05/11 — 27/05/11                         At sea: Fakarava – Nuku Hiva
28/05/11 — 03/06/11                         On shore: Nuku Hiva
04/06/11 — 16/06/11                         At sea: Nuku Hiva - Hilo
16/06/11                                             Arrival
19/06/11                                             Official Welcoming at Hilo Bayfront Park
16/06/11 — 21/06/11                          On shore: Hilo
21/06/11 — 22/06/11                          At sea Hilo - Maui
22/06/11 — 23/06/11                          On shore Maui
23/06/11                                             At sea Maui to Molokai
24/06/11                                             At sea Molokai to Ohau
24/06/11 — 05/07/11                         On shore: Honolulu
05/07/11 — 06/07/11                          At sea: Honolulu - Kaua'i
06/07/11 — 12/07/11                         On shore: Kaua'i, Hanalei Bay
12/07/11 — 10/08/11                         At sea: Kaua'i – San Francisco
10/08/11 — 14/08/11                         On shore: San Francisco
14/08/11 — 16/08/11                         At sea: San Francisco — Monterey
16/08/11 — 19/08/11                         On shore: Monterey
19/08/11 — 26/08/11                         At sea: Monterey – Santa Barbara — Los Angeles
26/08/11 — 29/08/11                         On shore: Los Angeles
29/08/11 — 04/09/11                         At sea: Los Angeles — Santa Catalina — Islands off San Diego — San                                                            Diego
04/09/11                                            On shore: San Diego
04/09/11 — 30/01/12                         Winterizing and winter-break
After 30/01/12                                    The journey will continue via Cocos Islands, Galapagos Islands,                                                             Marquesas and Tahiti. We will provide detailed information on the go.

Pacific Voyagers

From the Website http://www.pacificvoyagers.org/

Te Mana o Te Moana
"We have chosen this name for our voyage, which translates as "The Spirit of the Sea", to contribute to the wisdom of the Polynesian ancestors who loved and respected the sea. Several thousand years ago, the Polynesian ancestors traveled the Pacific on great voyaging canoes, called vaka moana, using only the stars, the ocean, and the surrounding wildlife to navigate, and lived closely connected to the sea. In crossing the Pacific from Aotearoa to Hawai'i, we aim to sail in the ancestors' wake and learn from their wisdom. We want to teach young people about this old bond with the sea."

The idea to sail across the Pacific on seven vaka is to raise awareness about the state of the ocean developed gradually. Dieter Paulmann, the founder of Okeanos - Foundation for the Sea, has felt a strong connection to the sea for his whole life. Long before he learned about the threatened state of the sea and began his mission to preserve it, he felt a deep bond with, and relationship to, the inhabitants of the sea, especially with the whales and dolphins.

The Goal
"We're sailing across the Pacific to renew our ties to the sea and its life-sustaining strength. The ocean is the origin of life, and it continues to give us air to breathe, fish to eat, and nourishes our soul as well. As threatened as the ocean is now, however, it soon can no longer provide us with these essential life services.
Sailing together, we seek the wisdom of our ancestors and the knowledge of scientists to keep the Pacific healthy and give our grandchildren a future."

The vaka will sail to raise attention for the bad state of the Pacific, the crew will transport a message to the world, saying that we have to act now to be able to preserve a healthy ocean for us and our children. Otherwise, if the ocean dies, we die. The crew will carry this message to our conference “Kava Bowl" Ocean Summit 2011 in Hawai'i about the consequences climate change on ocean will have if we go ahead with our business as usual. The crew will participate in the conference, contributing with their experience and their thoughts, learning from other people at the conference at the same time.

The motto for the whole project, which reflects the spiritual thinking in Polynesian culture about the sea, which has the same life-force running through its water as runs through our bodies, and how to treat this precious resource to not disturb Tangaroa, the God of the Sea. The following saying is a poetic way to say "be respectful and gentle":
"Move your paddle silently through the water"

The Seven Vaka

Marumaru Atua - Cook Islands

The Cook Islands Voyaging Society Inc was established as a non-profit organisation in 1992 after the 6th Pacific Arts Festival held on Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The Society was registered in September 1993 and the registered office is c/o The Secretary, Ministry of Cultural Development.
he vaka ‘Te Au o Tonga’ was built by the Cook Islands Voyaging Society, under the leadership of the canoe builder & designer, Sir Thomas Davis, in 1994 - to participate in a joint voyage with other Polynesian canoes to Hawaii and as a vessel to carry out the aims of the Cook Islands Voyaging Society (CIVS).

Haunui - Pan Pacific

Haunui waka is part of a conversation, a korero about reviving those traditions and conversations and knowledge of our Pacific ancestors.
Commemorating Tainui kaumatua Hone Haunui, kaitiaki Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr chose to honour Hone Haunui for years his support and sage guidance when it came to waka. He was a man respected and recognised for his matauranga and in his lifetime launched many waka. Sadly Hone passed away in December 2010 Hone Haunui was also involved in Te Mana o te Moana as he was the kaumatua who performed the launching karakia and ceremonies for Hinemoana, one of the waka in the family of canoes that will be travelling the Pacific.

The hulls of the waka are also named – Pikikōtuku (the ascending white heron) for the female port hull. The male starboard hull is named Wharetoroa (house of the albatross). The steering hoe has been given the name Te Whare Hukahuka Tangata (The foam house of the sea god).
The Haunui waka is for all iwi and owned by all nations.

Te Matau a Maui - Aotearoa

Te Matau a Maui hails from Ngati Kahungunu and is backed by the Ngati Kahungunu iwi incorporated.
Ngāti Kahungunu has the third largest Iwi population. A large percentage of Kahungunu people reside outside the traditional iwi boundaries. Many more reside overseas. Geographically, Ngati Kahungunu has the second largest tribal rohe in the country, from the Wharerata ranges in the Wairoa District extending to Cape Palliser in South Wairarapa. The coastal boundaries are Paritu in the North to Turakirae in the South. Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, with the mandate to represent the people of Ngāti Kahungunu, is the Governing body for all aspects of Iwi development.
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated is pleased to support Te Waka ‘Te Matau A Maui’.

Faafaite - Tahiti

The Association Faafaite i te Ao Maohi is a non-profit organization created in March of 2009 and registered in Papeete, Tahiti (French Polynesia). In French, the term “association” is used because it is an association of over twenty other local non-profit organizations as well as individual members.
The goal of Faafaite i te Ao Maohi (or just Faafaite for short), is to help renew ancestral navigational techniques, that is, without instruments.
This framework aims to guide us as we renew our ties with our heritage and environment. Faafaite means reconciliation and it is a reconciliation with nature, our culture and heritage which are the soul of the association. The canoe is but one vehicle, one means by which we aim to achieve this reconciliation of man and nature and of our “modern” generation with the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors. Visit the website

Uto Ni Yalo - Fiji

The Fiji Islands Voyaging Society is thrilled to be part of this truly historic voyage. For the motley crew of thirty-two crew members from all over Fiji and Rotuma, led ably by “Dau Levu”, Capt Johnathan Smith, this sail means untold blessings for ourselves as well as the people of Fiji, now and for generations to come.
As we set sail along ancient migratory routes, once again connecting our islands by canoe as our ancestors did many hundreds of years ago, let us remember a great man who recently left us.
Herb Kawainui Kane, first Captain of the Hokulea and founding member of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), was a keen supporter of our young society. We pay tribute to his foresight and the PVS for leading the resurgence of traditional voyaging

Gaualofa - Samoa

The Gaualofa was provided to the Aiga Folau o Samoa or Samoa Voyaging Society (SVS) by Okeanos in 2009, under a lease to purchase agreement.
The SVS is a Samoa-Registered non-profit organization established in 2009. The mission of the SVS is to firmly re-establish traditional voyaging as part of the Samoan cultural and national heritage. SVS aims to engage the people of Samoa, especially the youth, to contribute to sustainable development and the preservation of the Samoan marine and land environment. SVS is developing resource renewal and public education programs.

Hine Moana - Pan Pacific

The last of the seven vaka that were launched is named Hine Moana, the Guardian Lady of the Sea. Her dignity was given to her by the elder John Haunui, who blessed her in April 2010. It was the last vaka he launched before he passed away at the end of last year.She has her beauty from the design, drawn by well-known artist Ti, from the Cook Islands. The design is all-embracing and reflects many of the countries around the Pacific. All this is encompassed in her soul: she will welcome people from the whole Pacific and will carry a pan-Pacific crew on her voyage to Hawai'i.

Read more about the project and follow the vaka on their voyage on: www.pacificvoyagers.org or www.facebook.com/pacificvoyager.

See their Google map location.