22 Jun 2011

Environmental vaka fleet reaches Hawaii

6:08 am on 22 June 2011

A fleet of seven traditional Polynesian double-hulled canoes has arrived at its destination of Hawaii.

The Pacific Voyagers project's vaka comprise crew from New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

The project's aim is to raise awareness about rising sea levels, noisy oceans and the damage that human activity is causing the environment.

The fleet left New Zealand in April and its arrival in Hawaii was marked on Sunday with a grand welcoming ceremony.

The Pacific Voyagers are supported by Okeanos, a German-based philanthropic organisation, and their trip is being documented in a film.