HONOLULU (KHON2) — Whether docked at Sand Island or out at sea, the Hōkūleʻa is more than a voyaging canoe. She serves as the ultimate educational tool and Kaiulani Murphy is much more than just a teacher.

“To me, Hōkūleʻa represents so much. She stands for the brilliance of our kūpuna. The genius of being able to travel the way that they did for so many years without instruments, just using natural clues,” said Murphy.

Since 1998, Murphy has served as a crew member aboard Hōkūleʻa, taking part in voyages to Rapa Nui, Micronesia, Japan and Papahānaumokuākea.

Now, she connects the past and the present, sharing her passion and the knowledge of other master navigators, including Mau Piailug and Nainoa Thompson.

Haunani Kane also carries the title of educator and navigator. Like Murphy, she understands the importance and responsibility of keeping Hōkūleʻa’s mission and promise alive.

“It’s definitely a very special thing to have been gifted and entrusted with the art of wayfinding,” said Kane. “I think we’re very fortunate because the generation before us Uncle Bruce, Uncle Shorty, Kalepa. They were the ones who really proved that it’s possible for people to sail, wayfind and to navigate without using GPS or modern technology.”

Haunani and Kaiulani are expected to play critical roles in helping to guide Hōkūleʻa’s next and most ambitious journey.

Moananuiākea, or “Voyage for Earth,” is expected to resume in spring 2025 after the sailing was paused in Alaska following the Lahaina wildfires.

The four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific will cover more than 43,000 miles, with about 350 stops in 36 countries and 100 indigenous territories.

Each leg has a specific purpose of connecting communities, sharing knowledge and perpetuating an ancient tradition to ensure it’s never lost again.

Ryan Ornellas is studying the art of ancient navigation. While he hasn’t charted his own future course, he feels the need to understand the past.

“If it wasn’t for our traditional navigators, we wouldn’t have found Hawaiʻi in the first place and all of these other islands in Polynesia and Micronesia. So it’s very important for me to try to learn the concepts and techniques that they had to, even for me to be here in Hawaiʻi in the first place,” Ornellas explained.

Hōkūleʻa’s next purpose is to ignite the next generation of voyagers and leaders, those who will share the importance of our oceans and spread the wisdom and knowledge needed for others who will hopefully follow in their footsteps.

“Every single time you get out on the water, like there’s more to learn. You know, our world is changing, too. So there’s different things we’re going to be exposed to and learning,” Kaiulani added.

“I think that that’s a really powerful thing to really understand what’s going on around us and, you know, how we can how we can prepare for the future, how we can take care of our place so that we we can be safe and healthy here.”

According to Thompson, Hōkūleʻa’s job is to connect and keep building the global family, one family, one ocean and one island.