Currently docked at Wynyard Quarter are twin Hawaiian waʻa, Hikianalia and Hōkūleʻa.
Launched in 2012 and 1975, respectively, both vessels are named for stars (known as Spica and Arcturus in the West). Hōkūleʻa, Arcturus, was a zenith star for navigators in Hawaiʻi, and Hikianalia is its companion star.
Unlike their original counterparts built some 2,000 years ago, these waʻa are made from fibreglass, resin, and plywood. Both also feature modern amenities such as ʻŪomo ikehu Iā (solar panels) and Palapalaʻāina (GPS transmitters), a necessity in contemporary sea voyaging.
The waʻa departed Juneau, Alaska, in 2023 on a voyage of Pacific circumnavigation named Moananuiākea. With Aotearoa being a major stop on the way. They arrived at the end of 2025 for mid-voyage maintenance, and I believe had previously been in port in 2024.
Both vessels are constructed as replicas of the original voyaging waka (waʻa, etc) that crossed the Pacific between c. 900 to 1300 AD.
Of particular note, Hikianalia was built and laid down in Aotearoa.
