On our last day here in Aotearoa, we got to spend time driving around the suburbs, visiting new places. We got the awesome opportunity to give back at a community garden. It was really fun to get to talk to the matua and learn about how Maori are slowly gaining back their lands. I enjoyed getting to work in the dirt pulling weeds, and the matua were extremely kind to us, as they shared some freshly harvested veggies, fresh-baked bread and oh-so-ono New Zealand butter with us. I got to try an apple cucumber, which is really sweet, and feijoa, which is green and similar to guava. We got to see the beautiful landscaping they've done at Bastion Point. We also got to go to Unitec and see their Marae. It was beautiful and represented a kakou effort on the parts of the entire community. The carvings were extremely intricate representations of a timeline of Maori history. We were invited by the university elders for tea and biscuits afterwards, which was pretty fun. I love Earl Grey tea. When we drove back to the city to pick up our bags, we took the long way back (in reality, I think we had a hard time following the GPS) but it was fun. We got to drive on the motorway and see lots of sights, including an L&L BBQ, the Auckland tower from afar, and One Tree Hill (which the girls visited on our first night in Auckland). We had a lot of fun reminding Mr. Kamalu to drive on the left side of the road too! Today was a pretty chill day, and I had fun adventuring. I'm sad to be leaving, but I have tons of pictures and memories to remember this trip by. -Katie K. Sakys
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These last couple of days in New Zealand have been unreal. Being here I not only strengthened my connection to PVS, but now with this opportunity I was able to gain the experience of a life time. Thanks to the will of our founder Pauahi and Kamehameha Schools for opening the doors and providing me the incredible chance to be apart of the voyage, I was able to make all these lasting relationships and gain a better sense of my culture. The last days on the wa'a were mostly spent finishing up the final touches of the science kit procedures and labeling all the wires on the Hikianalia. It's hard to believe we were sent here not knowing what to do or what to expect, and yet we as a new hanau we were able to accomplish a lot. Saying our goodbyes on our final days on top Hoku and Hiki were tougher than expected. Because of all the work put into helping the voyage move forward, leaving it felt like leaving apart of myself with it to. It was as if all the mana we put into helping the voyage made us more apart of it than we realized. Being able to sail and work atop both vessels has been such an indescribable experience and has given me more of a drive now to be more active within the voyage. To finish off our final hours before heading home we were able to work on a farm and visit one last marae. Being on the farm was a lot different than I expected, since it seemed more like the farm our sustainability class had visited in Kalaupapa a couple months ago. More of a plantation/gardening place rather than an animal farm type style. Much of the work done is mainly centered around weeding since the farm is largely revolved around producing organic produce, so much of their work is doing a lot of hands on maintenance. It was definitely a life experience to be able to contribute our time to the farm. The last eventful thing of the day was visiting a marae at Unitec. This by far had to be one of the most beautiful ones I've seen out of all that we've gone to in New Zealand. All the intricate carvings from inside out was nothing like I've seen before. Everything was just so beautifully done, and it's crazy to see this as a place that keeps all the history. An elder mentioned that each pillar in the marae not only serves as a story of the past, but also as a foundation that holds up the structure. To me I saw it as a kind of metaphor that basically relates to the history carrying out the culture, which is what the marae seemed to be symbolizing. It was pretty neat reading all the different representations of each item and getting to know the culture's history. Overall a great way to end the day. I am so thankful and blessed to be apart of such an experiential trip and to be able to share it with such an incredible group made it even more worth while. Words can not even explain how our many experiences have created lots of unbelievable memories that we can take as we each set off on our different journeys. All of what New Zealand has offered to my Ohana these past 10 days has given us an unforgettable experience of a life time. -Kealohi S.
Our sail with Hōkūleʻa was shared on Khon2 News. We are so blessed and hope to be able to continue to share our journey with others. Our ten voyagers found ways to grow together, work together and bond into a crew that will always be together, even when apart. Our journey continues. #eatsleepwaa #ourvoyage
March 30, 2015 Today was our last workday on the Hikianalia, and I feel like we got a lot accomplished. All we really did was simplify our procedures for our experiments to make it as easy as possible for the crew to perform our tests and collect data from around the world on their voyage. They will be testing water temperature, salinity, pH, UVA and UVB radiation, and gamma radiation once a day (hopefully) on their worldwide voyage. Honestly, I was feeling pretty emotional when it was time to leave the boats. We spent 3 entire days of this trip on the Hikianalia figuring out how we were going to set up our experiments. We put a lot of our time and energy into this boat, and leaving it felt like saying goodbye to a friend that you know you probably won’t see again. It was sad to say the least. Next we chilled on the Hokule’a one last time, which felt even more emotional. We are some of the very few people in the entire world who ever have or ever will sail the Hokule’a and that is something I will always remember and always be extremely proud of. Saying goodbye to the Hokule’a was hard. It’s such a big deal just that we were one it, but it was more than that. We sailed it. We were the crew. We set up the sails. We took down the sails. We helped pack food for the next voyage. We loaded water onto it. We set up experiments for the crew to perform not their voyage. We had a connection with the actual crew that will be sailing on it. In only a few days we made such a big connection to this wa’a, and saying goodbye was a very hard thing to do. -Noeau Machado March 29, 2015 Besides the day when we sailed on the Hokule’a, today was probably the most fun day of the trip. It feels like we did so much in just one day its crazy. First we took a train out of the city and into the mountains. IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL OUT THERE. We went to a forest observatory place and the view was absolutely incredible. There is something about being in a place so high up that I just find amazing. I could have stayed there looking out at the trees and hills and ocean and sky all day, but our day was only getting started. The next thing we did was going on a small nature walk in this forest trail, which was pretty cool. It reminded me a lot of Hawaii with all the greenery. The trees surrounding us were pretty amazing, but the highlight of that short walk was Kamalani saying “koru koru”. I know this word doesn’t look like much, but when spoken correctly, produces the most amazing sound ever known to mankind. After that we went to… PIHA BEACH! That was one of the best parts of this trip so far. It was so beautiful and the sand was so fine and the water was so clear and reflective it mirrored the sky. I climbed up a hill a little bit and just sat for a few minutes and just looked out at the beautiful landscape in front of me and all my friends running around taking pictures and all the people in the water, and it was just one of the most peaceful moments of my life. -Noeau Machado One of the most relaxing days we've had by far, we got to venture outside the city today. After us girls trekked the mile to the boys' apartment building in pouring rain while avoiding the bike race coursing through the middle of the city, we started the day with a fun breakfast at a little cafe. I had a refreshing plate of seared lamp and Mediterranean rice. We walked to the underground train station (sorta like a subway except not because the majority of the tracks are above ground) and boarded a train to Henderson. It was fun watching the scenery flash by in the windows of the train. When we got to Henderson, Auntie Megan picked us up and took us to her niece's netball game. The easiest way to describe netball is a game played by girls who pass a volleyball-like ball and attempt to throw it into a backboard-less basketball hoop. It's...interesting. Apparently netball is New Zealand's biggest autumn sport. We left the netball courts and drove up into the Arataki Mountains to the Waitakere Forest Reserve, where we got to see stunning views of the forests. It was so relaxing to stand on the observation decks and look out onto the river and trees below while listening to the loud hum of the tree beetles and the songs of the birds. I never realized how loud silence can be, but when you're out in nature with the noise of humans toned down to near nothing, nature itself is quite vociferous. I enjoyed getting to learn about the effort put in to preserve this place and its native species. We took a stroll through a plant ID garden-type area, and it was really cool to listen to Ms. Arce point out the Aotearoa counterparts to our Hawaiian species. We continued our adventure outside the concrete jungle by heading to the beautiful, sparkling black sands of Piha Beach. The expansive views were stunning, and there was so much so explore at the beach. The water was kinda chilly and the wind was pretty strong, but I still had fun splashing and running around in the water in my street clothes. We did some mild hiking up the huge rock mountain on the beach, and the views were incredible. This is the Aotearoa I wanted to see on this trip, and I finally got to experience it. I'm so glad we took this chance to connect with nature because there's nothing comparable to standing 200 feet above the waves, gazing at the long white clouds that give this land its name. We ended the day with a trip to a local shopping center for our procurement of hokey pokey ice cream and lolls (chocolates and other sweets). The ice cream was interesting. Vanilla with little bubbles of candy that taste like something between caramel and toffee. The candy aisle at the grocery store was impressive. Cadbury and Whittakers as far as the eye could see. It took a lot of self-control to not spend all of my money on Crunchies, Cherry Ripe and Turkish Delight. Our last stop of the evening was dinner at a restaurant hotel only a few blocks from the girls' apartments. Finally! No treacherously long walk back to our apartments after a long day's work! -Katie K. Sakys
March 29 I am incredibly thankful for a woman named Megan and her friend who took time out of their day to literally spend all day with us. Because of her I had the best time checking out some things outside of the hustle and bustle of a city that felt a little too much like home. The day started on a train. It was a fairly nice train station and was different than our usual days of walking. The ride was nice and reminded me a bit of a public bus ride. Nevertheless it was an experience I will remember. We disembarked the train in the town of Henderson and met up with Megan. She teamed up with her friend and they were willing to take us places that we probably wouldn’t have gotten to seen if it weren’t for her. First we went to her nieces’ net ball games and saw a little bit of what that was all about. It was interesting, basically it is similar to ultimate Frisbee and basketball combined into one game. There is no backboard on the basket making it more difficult to score. It was fun to watch and the keiki were kiuke in the way they played. It reminded me of my little cousin playing tee ball. After that we headed to the Arataki visitor centre somewhere in the mountains. The view from the top was astonishing. It over looked what appeared to be a reservoir and the ocean. It was very green and lush. I wish I could have just chilled out on the lanai and just relax. It was a wonderful experience and as I read a few exhibits I learned a thing or two as well. After that we went on a short hike into some forests that reminded me a lot of home. There was an abundance wildlife and it was evident that this place was taken care of. We got to see some of the native plants of Aotearoa and learned the names of a few of them. It was a fun hike and I had a good time. After we went mauka, we went down to the beach. It was a long windy road and it was kind of narrow but after all that we arrived at a beautiful beach called Piha. It was a little different than the beaches back home. First of all it was a large beach. Also the sand was super fine grain and darkish grey in color. It was a windy day but the sun brought warmth. I touched the water and initially I thought it was cold, but after a while it wasn’t that bad. There was a huge rock on one side of the beach and there was a staircase scaling the side of it. A few of us climbed it and got a birds eye view of the beach. When we came to the beach, it felt relaxing as if time just stopped and we could have stayed there all day. Although it was a little different than the beaches I am used to it was fun. After the beach we had even more adventures. Megan was going to take us to a friends house who sells pounamu and other jewelry representative of the Maori culture. We were able to go to her house and pick out some of the nicest pieces of art I have seen. The woman was so nice and she basically welcomed 12 strangers into her home. She displayed pure aloha and that’s a great example of how we should treat our guests in our own homes. Megan also took us out to a nice little ice cream shop and to the super market where we were able to buy a lot of candy. Next we all ate dinner together. Megan and her friend drove us all back into town along with their children and we had a nice dinner together and we were able to meet and converse with some kids our own age. Overall this day has been incredible. The hospitality that Megan and her family showed to us was an example for me of how all guests should be treated. I felt welcomed like I had known her for so long. I cannot thank them enough for the time they took to spend the day with us. I am extremely grateful that we were able to get together with them and have an absolutely amazing day. Keenan > Ikaia Chu < After watching the Lord of the Rings and seeing the shire scenes, I just expected all of New Zealand to look that way. Flying into New Zealand, I expected to see lots of grassy hills and lush valleys. Well, when I got to the hotel and this was my view, it was safe to say I was a bit disappointed. Today, however, we were lucky enough to go explore the New Zealand I expected to see. Our day started with a early morning subway ride from Auckland to Henderson. Once there, we were picked up by Aunty Megan, our guide, who was a parent of two kids at Waiorea (the school we visited). After stopping to watch some local netball (similar to basketball, but without the backboard), we drove up to a small museum at the top of the nearby mountain. From there, you could see all the way down to the shore. It was really relaxing to finally escape into nature after being stuck in the heart of the city for most of the week. Then, after stopping for a picnic lunch, because we were short on time, we were forced to decide whether to go shopping for pounamu (carved stone necklaces) or to go to the beach. Although we collectively decided to get pounamu, we were surprised when they decided to take us to the beach as well. Now, living in Hawaii, I have seen many beautiful beaches, but this one was something I have never quite seen before. And although I was dressed like a complete tourist in jeans and shoes, I decided to make the most of my time by running around and playing in the sand and water. You see that mountain to the right of the pictures above? Well, after we were through playing in the sand, we actually discovered a stairs leading to the top of the mountain. Of course, being the adventurous kids we are, we climbed it to get a better view. After literally being dragged away from the beach, we were taken to Aunty Megan's friend's house where we could buy pounamu. Unfotunately, upon arrival everyone took the nice pounamu, leaving me with the leftovers. I decided to wait to buy a nicer one later. Following that, we picked up our guides' kids for a nice dinner together.
All in all, it was a really good day (one of the most fun and relaxing, in fact). After so many days of working hard on the wa'a (I'm not complaining, but we did have to work quite hard for 8 hours a day), it was nice to have a full day for the sole purpose of exploring New Zealand. Today really brought my trip together and made it feel complete because now I can say that I truly got to see the New Zealand I came to see. I’ve gotta say today was a pretty awesome day. Even though I had no idea where I was going it all turned out to be amazing. First off, I got to go on my first train ride, which was great! It’s actually pretty much like taking the regular bus, but it was a cool first time experience anyways. As we arrived in Henderson, we met up with our host, Mega, who took us around for the day, which was awesome!
First off on our mystery adventure, Megan took us to this museum in the mountains. This was so exciting for me because I wanted to finally see the greenery in New Zealand. Once we arrived, it was absolutely breathtaking. When we were up there, upon gazing at all the scenery, all of what I was seeing was all that I imagined of New Zealand. Lush tree’s, big lakes, and the natural aspect that really topped it all off. I felt I could just sit there all day and take in all the vegetation and be at peace. There’s just something about seeing the landscape that really gets me. It was like taking in all I needed to take in of New Zealand. Next mystery adventure was to the beach! If theres something that needs to be known about me, it’s that I love the beach. Maybe just as equally as I love being in the forest, but I don’t know, both are very whimsical. Immediately upon arrival I literally ran out of the car into the sand. Partially because I’ve never had much of an open space to spread my legs, and two because I was just so darn excited. Feeling the water was also cool too. At first I anticipated the water would be super cold because I seen a bunch of people wearing full suits, but upon contact it was great. The scenery was again a breathtaking sight. Words cannot even describe how incredible a sight this beach was. It was just incredible how the water just reflected the sky and all its entirety that just created THE MOST BEAUTIFUL scene I've ever laid eyes on . It was all so mind-blowing that for once my spiritual self felt complete!!!! -Kealohi S. March 28
Our Saturday consisted of another work day on the Hikianalia. Today we were able to refine our data collection process. It is still incredible to me that we get to work aboard the legendary vessel. We also did other work as well besides just working on experiments. We got to help pack the food for the voyage. This job was incredibly tedious but honestly it was kind of cool. I was touching the food that would be sailing miles and miles and they put their trust in a couple of high school students to make everything right. The process was very long however it made me appreciate what they are doing even more. Being able to see the behind the scenes of the voyage and all the preparation that goes into it makes me realize the passion that these people have for their job. They have the utmost respect for the things they do and all those that came before. Aunty Moani and her crew are some of the coolest people out there. I didn’t get to talk to them all that much but being able to work with her and pack food with them was a lot of fun. I can see the love they have for helping others and that inspires me. I can see their passion for this voyage and all it represents. Shout out to them for showing me some of the things that go on before a voyage and the hours of work they put in to make this thing happen. Keenan Today was pretty much a workday since most of it was spent in the harbor. A lot of the time was spent organizing the Hokulea’s and Hikianalia’s food, which takes surprisingly long. It’s actually pretty interesting to know that the crew orders a mass majority of their food because I thought much of it was either caught or somehow grown on the vessel. I mean I guess it does makes sense in hindsight since it ensures that everyone on the wa’a will get food and not starve to death, but I just thought the Hokulea was just a super sustainable boat that didn’t rely on outside food sources. Anyways, I was pretty impressed with the kind of food they get on the wa’a. They eat super well for a voyaging cone, but yah I really under estimated the amount of time and work that needs to be put into the boat. Packing alone already took 6+ hours and that was some tedious labor. It’s not just putting whatever into taxes. The crew organizes it in a good fashion to where they base each container of food for the day off a certain calorie count and nutritious plan. At the same time they also had a lot of food to package anyways and so trying to dins everything was also pretty challenging. Additionally we also did a little science work and did some work miscellaneous things back on the Hokulea. Overall a pretty productive day.
Once I got back to work, the five of us physics kids worked really well as a team as we traced and labeled the wires and connections between the panels. It was hard, intricate work, but we did a pretty good job. Mr. Kamalu taught us a lot more about electricity and especially current flow. I think we're gonna do pretty well when we get back to school and have to do our electricity unit in class. It's kind of exciting to think that we'll be the alaka'i for this unit back at school, especially because we have first hand experience working with Hiki's electrical system.
I also got to try a meat pie today. I had one with peppered steak and one with steak and potatoes in it, and both were really really good! I'm glad I got a chance to try these New Zealand staples! This trip has exposed me to a lot of different things, and I'm glad for it. I think the greatest exposure I had was yesterday when we visited the school. We got to meet kids who were extremely proud of their culture and very connected to who they are as Maori people. The pride and honor that I saw in their faces as they chanted, sang, and just spoke with us inspired me to try to connect with my own culture and my own identity as a Hawaiian. -Katie K. Sakys March 28, 2015 Today was another workday on the Hikianalia. Well, it was supposed to be a workday, but it ended up mostly being a day of putting together and organizing boxes of food for both Hikianalia and Hokule’a on their upcoming journeys. Even though this wasn’t exactly what we were supposed to be working on today, it felt really cool knowing that I was helping people. These people are going to be sailing for a long time, and the least I could do to help was assist packing their food (which by the way looked really good). As far as the actual science part of our contributions to the PVS goes, we are almost done with the procedures for our experiments we will be having them perform on their voyage. All we have left to do is make it look more presentable and find a place to store it on the wa’a. After the work was done at the harbor, we ate dinner at the Crab Shack… I am allergic to shellfish… That’s cool. The picture you see here is of a chicken, which had a price to size ratio that was very much lacking. But it was still good. We've been eating a lot of good food lately, and I'm loving it. Eating is definitely up there as one of my favorite parts of this trip. -Noeau Machado
Today we went to the waʻa again and basically learned about the breaker and the solar panels. We figured out how the solar panels connect together and labeled them and the wires. But Katie went onto the seat that goes underneath the solar panels and she almost fell into the jelly fish infested waters.
The highlight of my day was CRAB SHACK though! It was so good. I ate super great crab. Anyway, this whole trip is about laughing until your stomach hurts enough to pee, and making inside jokes that eventually will turn into hashtags on kama's instagram posts. -Ashley Lee March 27, 2015
Today was an experience. We went to Waiorea college, which is like high school for us. At the start it was incredibly intimidating. We waited outside to be welcomed in, and when we entered the sound of their voices was literally shaking the room. They were so loud and strong and passionate and good. That was a wake up call that we really need to step our game up. What I though was funny was that these kids all seemed so serious and angry when they performed, but then we had lunch with them after and they completely changed. They went from these loud, angry voices to normal kids with lots of questions about what Hawaii is like. It was a really fun experience. The kids were super friendly and welcoming of us, complete strangers to them. The main thing I saw was how proud these kids were of their culture, and how they weren't afraid to show it at all. It's inspiring to me, because it makes me want to feel that sense of pride about being Hawaiian. -Noeau Machado Yesterday we went to Waiorea School and met a bunch of middle schoolers and a couple of high schoolers our age. When we entered during the Powhiri, I chanted Oli Kamehameha as the reply to the call that the Māori student chanted. I observed that the chanter needed to be a woman and needed to have a skirt in their culture. We had to walk slowly onto their grounds and it was honestly really intimidating walking into their meeting house to their welcoming scary dance sort of thing. But after that, their singing was very beautiful and harmonized without pitches. When we went to their kai and ate fish and chips, we met a lot of them and talked story. We even distinguished between “hot” chips and “packaged” chips and their grading system and how they name the grades differently. Next, it was our turn to present something for them. I already was nervous from their great dancing and voices and when I stepped up by myself in front of them I was freaking out. Trying to look calm, I started to dance and chant. After messing up a couple times and repeating lines that weren’t supposed to be repeated, I stopped the entire dance. I was so disappointed in myself that I apologized. I knew that stopping a hula was not how I was taught to do when I messed up. I kind of felt like crying because they were so evident in their knowing of who they were and what their culture was and displaying it with no problems. I looked up at Mr. Blake and one of their teachers and they smiled at me with reassurance so I kept going and finished the song. Eventually I got into the mindset to continue and made it up with another kahiko, and a beautiful auana with Kainoa singing amazingly. When we went into the Science classes it felt like only 10 minutes. They were basically doing the same thing like we were doing in 8th grade but we had a little more technology into the microscope. Also, everything they had was labeled in Te Reo Māori and it was amazing how centered their education was around their culture. They told us stories of how they prove their traditional myths and moʻolelo with science. I thought it was super interesting and inspiring. In closing, I saw some pretty amazing things that day and I am so glad I got to see how proud they were in their culture. I always used to watch the videos from the other Aotearoa trip in November and seeing them in Kaʻiwakiloumoku when they come to visit but it was amazing in person in their own environment. It inspires me to want to do better in hula and with everything I do, to entwine all I do into my culture. -Ashley Lee March 27 Today, we went to a Tereo Maori school which is basically a school taught in the native tongue. It was a fun experience and really eye opening. The name of the school was Waiorea. Upon arrival we were immediately greeted and had the proper protocol. It was incredible. First they chanted out to us, then we replied with a chant that Ashley had performed. It was neat that their school day basically stopped just so they could properly welcome us. The mele that they performed were second to none and their voices blended perfectly to provide a wonderful melodic harmonious masterpiece. It was a wonderful experience. After all that, we ate some lunch provided by them and also had some entertainment with more melodic talents from the student body. Then they wanted to see something cool from us. Luckily Ashley is a performer so she danced some hula for them. Unluckily, without her, we had to sing on our own so she could change costumes and it was a rough run at I mua Kamehameha. Nevertheless the experience of sharing our culture with them will never be forgotten. We later got the opportunity to visit one of their science classrooms. It was cool to see the interest some of them had were similar to ours and I even learned some Maori vocabulary from one of the students. I truly had a great time at the school and learned so much. The thing that stood out to me the most was their performances and the pride they had while performing. What a great day, we got to experience a native school and see the similarities to what we do back at home. They have a similar way of doing things in the sense that they try to incorporate as much of the Maori culture into their curriculum just like we try to use Hawaiian culture and values in our classrooms. It was interesting and fun to interact with the students there and to really relate to them and make connections on an intimate level. I will take away a sense of unity from this experience knowing that regardless of culture and any thing else that may make two people seem different, there is always something that will bring two people together. I feel that the challenge is to find a connection between ourselves and a person who may be completely different than us and to realize that we all share special bonds. Keenan Today we were very honored to visit a Maori college, which in America would be considered our high school. The schooling is very different here. Based off what I’ve learned so far, the grades go from 1 being kindergarten and 13 being senior year for us. They also call their grades years, as in “I’m year 10” meaning I’m in 9th grade for the Hawaii grade system. It’s really different but interesting to meet a lot of students that are like freshmen and sophomores. I’ve gotta say coming to this school has taught me a lot. Right as we were welcomed in, some of the students greeted us with a really intense performance of their Haka. Seeing that really hit me, and brought me almost to the point of tears. Just all the mana and confidence being put into their chants really made me rethink what I’m doing with my life. Again it stressed that 1. Its pretty sad how culturally retarded I am and 2. How uneducated I am about Hawaiian in general. Its really got me going to really try to learn my language, and take more initiative about learning my culture. Once entering their classroom and looking at all the students again reminded me of home and of all the mixed pot we’ve got going on. I’ve got to say our chants and performances were pretty bad compared to them, but at least we tried. When we actually followed some students into the classrooms I have to admit I tried being more open and talk to them, but lets just say my introverted self was having a little issue initiating conversation. When I did try however, I got to see what their learning environment is really like. The students are definitely not as fortunate as us, but I see there’s a lot of learning and figuring out stuff by themselves, which is interesting. -Kealohi S. Todayʻs adventures took us to Nga Puna o Waiorea, a Rumaki of about 200 tamariki who range from year 8 to 13. As we were entering and called to enter in the Powhiri, we moved slowly and we were overcome with the power and intensity of our hosts. As the matua spoke in their mini, and then their waiata, I knew that our turn was next. Having to speak on behalf of our manuhiri Malama Honua group was an honor and a privilege and I would hope that we would be able to represent our group well. I spoke of our school and wanted to speak of our mauna, our makani, our ua and our wai, to speak of our school and our arrival to meet Hokuleʻa and Hikianalia, how in 1985, Sir James Hinare named the kanaka maoli as Ngati Ruawahia, the sixth tribe of Tai Tokerau from the North region and how we were here as cousins and relatives and not manuhiri. Our waiata of the ʻoli, Ngati Ruawahia was strong as our group understood itʻs importance. I could not be prouder of this group as they stepped outside of their comfort zones and grew today. One of the highlights was the waiata that were shared with our group after the Hongi and our Hakari (kai) at lunch. It is always an impressive sight to see the power, intensity and confidence that the poʻe maori show in their performances. The group of 20 people sounded like 200 and were amazing. We also had the privilege to share with their year 9 performing arts class. We shared 2 hula kahiko and 1 hula auana. our group was amazing and I couldnʻt be more proud to be the head of this group as I know how far they have come and their performance was nice and was representative of our group, our Kamehameha Schools and our ʻaina. It is most definitely my honor to be a part of this group. Imua!
Today we hopped aboard Hikianalia and began working on her electrical systems. We went down into the hulls and opened up the control panels. It was hot and cramped down there and the little bunks were extremely tempting to our tired bodies, but it was actually kind of fun. Our work today was almost like puzzle working. First we had to map out the entire battery system, complete with the correct signs. We had to make sure our drawings were extremely accurate because apparently the rest of the physics students will be recreating Hiki's electrical system based on our diagrams. The diagram that Ash, Kama and I drew of the starboard side was pretty accurate. The boys were in charge of the port side. Once we got our diagram done, we had to measure the voltage of each of the three batteries in the series using a multimeter, which Mr. Kamalu explained how to use. Once we finished mapping and tracing wires, we took a break to get lunch. We had Subway and saw some meat pies but we're gonna try those another day. I walked past a sign at a bar-type restaurant that I found quite amusing. Then we had to trace all of the wires coming from the batteries and figure out how they got to the panels up above. It was hard work but it put our minds to great use. We had to do lots of teamwork, with Ash filming, Kama holding the flashlight while simultaneously taking notes, and then me blindly trying to trace wires with my fingers. Whoever thought this trip wouldn't be education was definitely mistaken! I learned a lot today about currents, charges, voltage, and batteries. After lunch we started working on the solar panels. We had to figure out which of the 16 panels were connected into pairs, which meant a lot of tracing more wires. We had to hang over the sides of the hulls underneath the panels, which protected us from the rain, but we unfortunately couldn't get to all the panels. We're gonna try to find the hanging harness seat to rig up next time so we can hang under the wa'a. Once we finished up working for the day, we went to an Asian food court. I got lamb satay from an Indonesian booth, and afterwards Mr. Blake treated us to Swiss ice cream. I tried creme brûlée, which was reallllllyyyyy good. Overall today was a great day for thinking and working. -Katie K. Sakys
Honestly I would have never imagined that Christopher Blake is as cultured as he is. In class he just seems like he's asking us questions about culture because he wants us to think about it. I never really would've thought that he asks us cultural questions because he actually cares about us. Knowing that he wants us to figure out who we are is very encouraging for me. I'm not saying that other people don't really care about that kind of stuff but usually teachers aren't like that. They don't do that kind of stuff.
I like that he and Mr. Kamalu kind of fought for this trip. It shows that they don't only want us to do science but they want to tell us figure out who we are. We visited a ta reo maori school today and Mr. Blake asked us if we wanted to be maori after going to that school. I mean it seems like it would be cool but going and seeing how centered they were culturally, made me want to be more Hawaiian which is really funny because usually we have maori people come to Hawaii and everyone is tripping out and wants to be like them. But being here in New Zealand and seeing them in their own element makes me want to be better in our own element, even in not our own element. I just want to be more Hawaiian. My stomach is still sore from all the laughing that I did with my #eatsleepwaa ‘ohana today. There were so many laughs and memories shared. The bond is really growing between each one of us as we continue to work together on this voyage. Today, we completed a lot of work on Hikianalia, all the stuff that we came here to do. We split into two groups. One group was in charge of writing the procedure for the devices for the experiments that we are going to leave on Hokule’a. By the end of the day we gave a rough draft to Lehua to see how she would handle it, and we found many holes in the procedure. But no worries because now we know what we must fix. I worked more with the physics group today and our focus was on the electrical system on Hikianalia. I had no idea what to do going into today, but Mr. Kamalu is a very good teacher. He explained everything to us. We accomplished a lot today. We documented the battery system where all of the electricity on the boat is stored. We also documented the solar panel system. Both tasks were difficult and took us almost the whole day, but we were successful. There is still a lot more work to be done. Before we started our work today we helped with the unloading of the delivered food for each wa’a. There was a lot of food to unload. It was raining a lot today so it was a good thing that I brought my sweat pants. Chris Chow fell asleep sitting straight up on the deck of Hikianalia, but unfortunately I missed the photo opportunity. Working with Ikaia, Katy, Ashley, and Chris was a lot of fun. All of us, the whole group of student, make a really good team. We all worked really hard today, but it was really fun at the same time. We are becoming a bigger part of this voyage. After sailing yesterday on the Hokule’a, we already dubbed ourselves a part of the crew. Now, we also will have experiments on the ship the entire time as well as be responsible for some understanding of the confusing electrical system and solar panels. Today was a great work day.
-Kama Kainoa Ah QuinThese past couple of days have been so awesome! I can’t believe all the things we’ve done. It doesn’t seem like it when you say it or think about it but remembering all the stuff that we did just gets me thinking about how special we are as a group to be here. I like to think about the idea of things happening for a reason and I definitely believe that we were all called to be here in New Zealand on this particular trip for a reason. I can’t say what that reason is but I feel in my gut that there is a bigger purpose here. Yesterday when we being welcomed by the schools in Manaiakalani I was just so overwhelmed with emotions that I couldn’t hold back a couple of my tears. Mr. Kamalu was next to me and seemed like he was just chillin so I felt a little off about tearing up, but it was just so amazing to see those 2,000 kids standing there chanting for us and them just knowing what to do. Then being able to make a personal connection to each and every one of them. I thought that was so amazing.
I just feel so special to be able to have been on the receiving side of a welcome. When I used to go to Kanu o ka Aina, I remember always looking up to those “adults” and guests that we would chant to and welcome them in and I would look at some people and think in my head, “I want to be like her when I get older”. Now finally it seems like that’s happening. I’ve never imagined what it would actually be like. I’ve dreamt of it a bit but I tried to never get my hopes up too high so that they don’t get shot down, but now they’ve actually come true. They’ve become reality and I find it so amazing that I’m speechless. I have all these things I want to say and try to explain how I feel but it’s like words can’t explain it. There’s just this feeling in me that is so overwhelming, but in a good way. The thought especially about yesterday and not only being on the wa’a but sailing it, still baffles me. It’s like I can still feel the waves rocking us from below. I can definitely see my raccoon tan on my face and my arms are kind of sore from trying to work the sweep, but the experience we had yesterday was so awesome! How many people can say they’ve sailed the Hokule’a, other than the actual crew members of course. We didn’t only sail the wa’a but we had Nainoa Thompson’s whole family on their with him and for most of the sail he was holding his daughter which meant we were doing most of the manual labour, which I actually don’t mind because it was such a once in a lifetime experience. I’d love to work as a crew member one day on Hokule’a or HIkianalia because that is something for the books. All the things you’d experience on there are things you couldn’t do anywhere else. I’m just so grateful to be here on this trip. To have the opportunity to sail on the wa’a, to be welcomed, to hangout with these awesome team members on the Malama Honua team, just everything. I’m so grateful. We’re almost kind of half way through our trip and I’ve had such an amazing time so far. I look forward to all the moments and memories we’re going to make on the rest of it. 26 March 2015 Today was fun and felt really productive. Today was a workday on Hikianalia and we got a lot done. We set up, tested, wrote procedures, refined our procedures, and did more tests for our various experiments that the crew will be doing for us on their worldwide voyage to collect data for their website. We got a lot done, but we still have some work to do. Although today wasn’t exactly as “exciting” as sailing on the Hokule’a, it still felt like a big day for me. Today was probably the first time I realized just how big of an impact we have on this voyage. At first I thought, “Why are we, just a few high school students, so special that we a part of this Malama Honua voyage? What are we really doing here?” But today it hit me that there is no one else doing what we are doing right now, collecting data from around the world for the PVS. It’s a pretty crazy feeling to be apart of something this big, but today I really felt like we are all apart of this voyage. P.S.
I still feel the rocking of the boat. Awesome. -Noeau Machado |
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May 2015
CategoriesContributorsThe members on the Mālama Honua journey will maintain this area to document their experiences. |