Raising Sails and Sharing Provisions with Voyaging Canoe Moʻokiha ʻŌ Piʻilani

Community members gathered at Mānele Small Boat Harbor on July 10 to step aboard the voyaging canoe Moʻokiha ʻŌ Piʻilani as part of a collaborative outreach event hosted by Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy and Hui O Waʻa Kaulua. The canoe and crew were on the final leg of a 10-month training initiative titled Kaukapeʻa Holokapa, designed to prepare new voyagers through deep-sea navigation and traditional provisioning methods.

Captain Malanai Kuahiwinui said the name of the voyage loosely translates to “set the sail, go and sail.”

Much of the voyage’s food was sourced locally and preserved through pressure canning or freeze drying, a practice inspired by the voyaging canoe Makaliʻi, which provisioned a month-long journey to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands using only food grown and prepared on Hawaiʻi Island.

“For the past ten months, we spent the time learning how to can, how to dry, how to prepare our own food — food we didn’t have to rely on stores for,” said Captain Kuahiwinui.

Brittany Lehua Kamai of Waiʻanae, a crewmember with Kānehūnāmoku, said the intention was to return to practices of kūpuna. “Hawaiʻi is not a food desert,” said Kamai. “We’re just in a practice where we’re conditioned to get our lives from stores. This voyage was about changing that.”

Kalā Tanaka of Hui O Waʻa Kaulua said the meals on board strengthened their connection to place and lineage. “When I eat poi, I don’t feel sick. I feel full — not too much — and I have energy to work,” she said. “What we eat is what our kūpuna ate. That’s Hāloa.”

She said that connection goes beyond nourishment. “It’s better for us because DNA-wise, we’re maʻa to that (accustomed to it). That’s what fuels us. And to have those things — things that don’t come from California, that come from here — you need kalo farmers, fishermen and local hunters. By creating demand for a supply that can only be found here, it only makes us stronger.”

Seventeen voyagers made the Lānaʻi stop aboard Moʻokiha ʻŌ Piʻilani, along with support from a small escort vessel. Guests rotated through stations focused on knots, navigation, and preservation.

Isaias Riel, attending with his daughter Ava, said they appreciated the hands-on activities. “Learning the knots they use on the canoe was one of the highlights,” he said. “And the navigation systems — they’re using the sky, the ocean, the animals. It’s really interesting.”

Kalani Asano, a second and third mate with Matson Navigation and Pasha, also attended to talk with students about maritime careers. “There’s a lot of options,” he said. “Whether it’s working on container ships like I do or local tugboats running cargo through the islands. I’m just here to share what that path can look like.”

Captain Kuahiwinui said the Lānaʻi visit was about connection. “To actually have the community come and join us, meet in person, and build those connections — that’s the most fun part.”