Join us for a renewed launch of the Aʻa as it returns to the ocean on Saturday, November 8, 2025, from sunrise to noon at Keʻehi Lagoon Beach Park. As we relaunch Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s pioneering racing canoe in 2025, we celebrate not only the history of the Aʻa, but also the moʻolelo of koa canoes in Hawaiʻi.

The Aʻa, also affectionally known as the ʻĀ, is a forty-foot koa racing canoe commissioned by Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, and is considered the first custom-built, six-seat racing canoe of its kind. The canoe was crafted in 1902 by Henry Weeks in Kailua-Kona. At the time of its creation, it 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 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. 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 Queen Kapiʻolani and Prince Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole. Since 1952, the waʻa has been co-stewarded by the Dowsett ʻOhana, which was instrumental in launching Lanikai Canoe Club.

The Aʻa was recently featured in the J. M. Long Gallery at Bishop Museum as a focal point of the exhibition Kū a Lanakila! Expressions of Sovereignty in Early Territorial Hawaiʻi, 1900–1920. The 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. It 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.

Continuing that legacy now, in 2025, we will gather to perpetuate the life of the Aʻa as it returns to the ocean newly repaired. The recent repairs to the waʻa were made possible by the Friends of Hōkūleʻa and Hawaiʻiloa, Tay Perry, Ryan Olivares, and the Dowsett ʻOhana.

At sunrise on November 8, 2025, we will gather for a ceremony to mark the launch of the Aʻa at Keʻehi. From 9 a.m. to noon, there will be educational booths to provide information about the Aʻa and koa canoes, moʻolelo sessions, and food and drink vendors.

More program details coming soon.

Admission to this event is free and all are welcome. We ask that guests register via the link above as this will help us anticipate audience size.