Events
Bishop Museum Invites Community to Hoʻi i ke Kai: Launch of the Aʻa
Free event at Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park to celebrate Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole's storied 40-foot racing canoe and its return to water
# Bishop Museum Invites Community to Hoʻi i ke Kai: Launch of the Aʻa
Free event at Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park to celebrate Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole's storied 40-foot racing canoe and its return to water
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — Bishop Museum, the State of Hawai'i Museum of Natural and Cultural History, invites the community to a free event celebrating Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole's storied 40-foot racing canoe, and its return to water for the first time in more than a decade. Hoʻi i ke Kai: Launch of the Aʻa will be held at sunrise on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025 at Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park.
"They don't exist for display. They exist for the ocean." — Billy Richards, Polynesian Voyaging Society navigator and Bishop Museum board member, referring to waʻa (canoes) made of koa, like the Aʻa.
The Aʻa, also affectionally known as the ʻĀ, is a 40-foot koa waʻa commissioned by Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole and is considered to be the first custom-built, six-seat racing canoe of its kind. The vessel was crafted in 1902 by Henry Weeks in Kailua, Kona. At the time of its creation, the Aʻa was said to be the most perfectly built and fastest racing canoe in the islands, inspiring all other racing canoes that came after.
The Aʻa was in its prime between 1906-1910 when it and its all-Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) crew from Kailua-Kona competed against Oʻahu's racing teams. Support for the Aʻa was widespread across the Hawaiian Islands, and its success brought great pride to the lāhui (people).
After the passing of Prince Kūhiō in 1922, the Aʻa was gifted to Bishop Museum in 1923 as part of the Kapiʻolani-Kalanianaʻole Collection, named in honor of both Prince Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole and Queen Kapiʻolani. Since 1952, the waʻa has been co-stewarded with the Dowsett ʻOhana, being instrumental in launching Lanikai Canoe Club.
The Aʻa was recently featured in Bishop Museum's J. M. Long Gallery as a focal point of the exhibition, Kū a Lanakila! Expressions of Sovereignty in Early Territorial Hawaiʻi, 1900-1920. This exhibition was inspired by the story of the Aʻa and how koa canoes played an important role in asserting Native Hawaiian traditions during the early territorial period. Kū a Lanakila! explored how Kānaka ʻŌiwi engaged in public ceremony, competitive sports, and political activism to maintain their identity and agency in a time of profound change.
In continuing that legacy, Bishop Musuem invites the community to gather to perpetuate the life of the Aʻa as it returns to the ocean newly repaired. The recent repairs were made possible by the Friends of Hōkūleʻa and Hawaiʻiloa, Tay Perry, Ryan Olivares, and the Dowsett ʻOhana.
"The A'a marked the beginning of organized canoe racing in Hawaiʻi, and it's also a link to our past," said Tay Perry, master canoe builder who led the recent repairs to the Aʻa in preparation for the launch. "It stands alone as the oldest canoe built for racing."
Hoʻi i ke Kai: Launch of the Aʻa
- Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025
- 6 a.m. – Noon
- 6 a.m.: Sunrise Ceremony honoring the Aʻa and its launch / return to water, supported by canoes from racing and voyaging clubs and organizations.
- 7 a.m.: Paddle Out
- 8 a.m. – Noon: Talk story / oral history sessions with master canoe carvers and koa canoe stewards about the importance of koa canoes in Hawaiʻi
- Free to the public*
*Attendees are asked to help provide an attendance headcount by registering via the following link, where they can also view additional information: BishopMuseum.org/Aa.
Bishop Museum extends its mahalo to community partners Friends of Hōkūleʻa and Hawaiʻiloa, and The Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association.
Bishop Museum invites members of the news media to cover the event, with VIP parking and interview opportunities available for attendees. Please RSVP with Lance Aquino via the contact information above.
About Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History
Bishop Museum’s mission is to inspire our community and visitors through the exploration, celebration, and perpetuation of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a royal descendant of King Kamehameha I. Today, the Museum thrives as an educational center for the community and is widely regarded as the world’s premier institution for Hawaiian and Pacific content.
Bishop Museum’s vast collections of more than 25 million objects and specimens represent nine disciplines and include more than 22 million biological specimens, over 2 million cultural objects, 115,000 historical publications, and 1 million photographs, films, works of art, audio recordings, and manuscripts. These collections tell the stories of the cultures and biodiversity of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific as well as the proud legacy of scholarly research spanning 130 years.
Bishop Museum proudly serves more than 200,000 visitors each year, including 20,000 children on school visits. Guests are encouraged to pre-plan their trip to #HawaiisMuseum with its free digital guide, available through Bloomberg Connects.
To learn more about the Museum’s research, collections, exhibits, and programs, visit BishopMuseum.org, follow @BishopMuseum on Facebook and Instagram, visit Bishop Museum’s YouTube channel, or call (808) 847-3511. Bishop Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Bishop Museum is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and welcomes applicants from the military, veterans, and those with disabilities. Learn about careers at Bishop Museum at BishopMuseum.org/Careers and on its LinkedIn page.
Bishop Museum Press is Hawaiʻi’s oldest book publisher and one of the first scholarly publishers in the Western Hemisphere, and has published over 1,200 titles and distributed over 1 million books in 72 countries worldwide. Bishop Museum hosts a restaurant and gift shop on campus, Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn and Shop Pacifica by Nā Mea Hawaiʻi.