This season we cross the seas to tahiti and then up to Hawaii for 13thPacific festival arts – held every four years hosted this time by our kanaka maoli family after an 8 year hiatus due to covid.
We celebrate reconnecting and the theme is “Regenerating Oceania” – a theme close to our hearts as CIVS is all about regenerating our Voyaging traditions and protecting our oceans.
This sail is a symbol of our old connections, creating new ones and remembering the importance and role of the ocean sustaining not only us, but the entire world. Our oceans are our life blood – we cry and sweat salt .
We sail with a crew of 24 – 16 up 16 back – switching 8 in hawaii. Our crew come from rarotonga and the pa enua – some have trained with te puna marama tereteranga program, some with CIVS, some on te au o tonga, some on takitumu – we mix the old and the new to learn under grand Master PWo navigator Peia Patai .
Our ages range from 17- 73 years. This rare opportunity is a chance for crew to really learn traditional navigation, the way of the sea, to see the northern star, experience the doldrums and cross the equator.
We will sail through French polynesian, international waters, the clariton clipper zone, and then into US waters.
We are blessed with this opportunity and grateful for all our supporters – Nia tero, SIF fund, marae moana – who are all sponsoring the training of young people, Air rarotonga who have helped get our pa enua boys here, Triad fuel for diesel (safety first), Toa for gas, stonefish for uniforms, Ministry of Cultural Development and SPC and Te Puna Marama Voyaging trust – together we proudly represent Cook Islands Voyaging and carry the mana and Mauri of our tupuna into the future.
Oceania is vast, Oceania is expanding, Oceania is hospitable and generous, Oceania is humanity rising from the depths of brine and regions of fire deeper still, Oceania is us. We are the sea, we are the ocean…
