Polynesians navigated the vast Pacific in double-hulled canoes discovering hundreds of islands, from Tonga and Samoa in the Western Pacific, to Easter Island in the East, and the Hawaiian Islands in the North. Often referred to as The Polynesian Triangle, this vast area covers nearly one million miles of open ocean. It was an astonishing feat, unprecedented to this day.
In the 1970s, the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) of Hawai‘i built a 60-foot double-hulled ocean voyaging canoe and named her Hokule‘a (“Star of Gladness”)—the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere (aka Arcturus) and guiding star for Hawaiian navigators. Over the past 50 years, Hōkūleʻa has inspired the world to embrace the responsibility to protect the earth.
From her launch in 1975 to the groundbreaking Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage of 2014-2017, Hōkūleʻa has sailed nearly 300,000 miles and completed 15 deep-sea voyages, bridging generations and communities through shared values of Mālama Honua (care for the Earth).
If you missed seeing the Hōkūleʻa on her recent statewide visit, you can learn more about PVS, the Hōkūleʻa and her mission in the following television broadcasts. There is also a big birthday bash in Kāneʻohe for her 50th birthday on March 8. If you canʻt make it to the Windward Coast of Oʻahu, that is a special day to tune-in on television.
Hōkūleʻa 50th Birthday TV Specials
SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2025
- 6:30-7:00pm: Empowered Hawaii, Hōkūleʻa, KHII
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2025
- 9:30-10:00pm: Hōkūleʻa: Decades of Discovery, KHON2
- 3:00-4:00pm: HI Now Daily – Hōkūleʻa 50th Birthday Show, Hawaii News Now
THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2025
- 7:30-8:00pm: Hōkūleʻa: Decades of Discovery, KHII
- 7:30-8:30pm: Hōkūleʻa: Past, Present and Future, INSIGHTS on PBS Hawaii
- 8:30-9:00pm: Hōkūleʻa: Star of Gladness 1975 Documentary, PBS Hawaii
FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2025
- 7:00-8:00pm: Hōkūleʻa: Moananuiākea, K5
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2025 – Hōkūleʻa’s 50th Birthday
- 7:00-11:00am: Live broadcast of Hōkūleʻa’s 50th Birthday Commemoration Ceremony, K5
- 7:00-9:00am: Sunrise (Special Edition with live updates of Hōkūleʻa’s 50th Birthday Commemoration Ceremony), Hawaii News Now
- 9:00-11:00am: Celebrating Hōkūleʻa, K5
- 5:30-6:00pm: Empowered Hawaii: Hōkūleʻa, KHON2
- 6:30-7:00pm: Hōkūleʻa: Star of Gladness 1975 Documentary, KHON2
- 7:00-7:30pm: Hōkūleʻa: Decades of Discovery, KHON2
- 7:00-7:30pm: Hōkūleʻa: Star of Gladness 1975 Documentary, KITV
- 7:00-8:00pm: A Canoe is Born: Hōkūle’a, K5
- 7:30-8:00pm: Kuleana: Hōkūle’a, The Next Generation, KITV
- 9:00-9:30pm: Hōkūleʻa: Star of Gladness 1975 Documentary, KIKU
- 9:30-10:00pm: Kuleana: Hōkūle’a The Next Generation, KIKU
SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2025
- 1:00-2:00pm: Hōkūleʻa: Past, Present and Future, INSIGHTS on PBS Hawaii
- 2:00-3:00pm: Hōkūleʻa: Star of Gladness 1975 Documentary, PBS Hawaii
- 7:00-7:30pm: Hōkūleʻa: Decades of Discovery, KHII
FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2025
- 6:30-7:30pm: Kamehameha Schools Song Contest Pre-Show, Hoʻokipa: Hospitality Around Moananuiākea, Hawaii News Now
SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2025
- 8:30-9pm: Empowered Hawaii, Hōkūleʻa, KHII
- 9:00-9:30pm: Hōkūleʻa: Decades of Discovery, Hawaii’s CW
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2025
- 9:30pm-10pm: Aloha Authentic: Hōkūleʻa, KHON2
FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2025
- 9:00-9:30pm: Aloha Authentic: Hōkūleʻa, Hawaii’s CW
SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2025
- 8:00-8:30pm: Aloha Authentic: Hōkūleʻa, KHII
More info: Hōkūleʻa 50th Birthday TV Specials – Hōkūleʻa
You might also like:
- Wayfinding: Polynesian navigation and the Hawaiian star compass (hawaiionthecheap.com)
- Hawaiʻi on the Cheap – affordable living and things to do
Post expires at 10:16am on Monday March 31st, 2025
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