They will represent Hawaii at the arrival of Hokule a and finalize Maui s sister-city relationship with Rapa Nui. They were greeted by the Rapa Nui council of chiefs and top government representatives. Ricardo Menzel, commandant of the Chilean Naval Base on Rapa Nui, said he now expects the canoe to reach the island Thursday or Friday if the winds pick up. Meanwhile, Juan Tuki, a member of the council of chiefs, expressed a playful skepticism about the capability of Hokule a navigators to find Rapa Nui by traditional methods, saying he suspects they secretly carry modern instruments. Nikko Haoa, a member of the Rapa Nui canoe club and a friend of Hokule a navigator Nainoa Thompson, said he s been questioned about the role of the escort boat.
People assume it is leading the canoe.
Their skepticism is similar to that heard in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands in 1985 before Hokule a arrived there for the first time. Some people joked about a plastic, Hollywood canoe. Attitudes changed when people on Rarotonga met and talked to the voyagers from Hawaii. One person here who is convinced of the cultural and scientific value of the Hokule a voyage is Jose Miguel Ramirez, administrator of national parks here. I think one of the most important things about Hokule a is the stimulation of the recovery of the Rapa Nui culture, he said.