Hokule‘a And Ho‘ala Team Up

Education and adventure met at Ho’ala School as students and Hokule’a crew members joined forces recently to build a garden for the health and enjoyment of both partners.

The students built the Ho’ala School Peace Garden with the help of Ryan Hanohano and Hokule’a captain Kamaki Worthington. The aquaponics system and raised beds at the Wahiawa private school were financed by a grant from Chevron, and the whole program was overseen by science teacher Maggie Pulver.

The garden will produce edible, medicinal plants for the school as well as for the canoe’s crew. The students also replanted koa tree saplings that were started from seeds they had collected as a Ho’ala School Camp Kokua project – a service-learning program last summer. The trees will be presented as gifts of peace to countries visited by Hokule’a and her sister ship Hikianalia on their voyage around the world.

In addition to the planting, the crew spent time with the middle and high school students answering questions about their upcoming voyage.

The students also visited the Hokule’a, where crew members demonstrated various techniques that they use to navigate the canoe across the open ocean. Students were taught to tie knots, use a star compass, maneuver the sweep and unfurl the sail to experience life aboard the sailing vessel.