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Hawai‘iloa Voyaging Canoe to sail into Outrigger’s O Ke Kai Series event

RELEASE NUMBER 107/15

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HONOLULU, HAWAII – Outrigger Resorts is inviting the public to take part in a special celebration of Hawaii’s great voyaging canoes at its quarterly O Ke Kai Series event being held at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort on November 14, 2015. Lending her mana to the event will be the voyaging canoe, Hawaiʻiloa, which will anchor just offshore of the resort. A representative will be transported to shore in an outrigger canoe and welcomed to the resort with traditional Hawaiian chants and hula. After the ceremony, guests and visitors are invited to enjoy a morning filled with a variety of Hawaiian cultural activities, talk story with members of Friends of Hokuleʻa and Hawaiʻiloa, including crew members from previous legs of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, and more in the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort Ocean Tower Lobby.

“The O Ke Kai Series is a beloved tradition here at the Outrigger Reef and we are proud to welcome both visitors and kamaaina to come and experience the magic of native Hawaiian ocean voyaging,” said Luana Maitland, events and activities manager at Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort and the hotels official Ambassador of Aloha. “Viewing the Hawai‘iloa so close to shore and talking story with the Hokule`a crew members is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we hope that events like the O Ke Kai Series will help to perpetuate the spirit of exploration for years to come.”

Starting at 9 a.m., the O Ke Kai Series will give attendees the chance to see the voyaging canoe Hawaiʻiloa, a double-hulled canoe originally built starting in 1991 as a tribute to the ancient mariner Hawaiʻiloa, as she anchors just offshore of the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort. The crew will be greeted on Waikiki Beach with traditional Hawaiian chants, and hula kahiko from Halau Ka Waikahe Lani Malie Hula.

Following the program, the public is invited to continue the festivities in the Ocean Tower Lobby from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. where canoe building tools, models of canoes of the pacific, voyaging maps, and canoe plants will be on display. Guests can also view video footage of Hokuleʻa’s worldwide voyage and talk story with Hokuleʻa crewmembers Michi Wong and Mikiala Akiona. Additionally, a variety of Hawaiian cultural activities will be offered including mini canoe making by Calvin Hoe; a display of Hawaiian weapons, fish hooks and the making of traditional hau cordage by Umi Kai; canoe petroglyph stamping and coloring taught by Lynn Cook; and ti-leaf kupee by Kahoaka. Kanehunamoku Voyaging Academy, a hands-on, living classroom for students of all ages will also participate.

For more information on Outrigger’s O Ke Kai Series, click here.

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