Monthly Archives: December 2016

Anuinui

“Kai ’Opua!”

 The image for this digital rendering will be cherished not so much for the image, but more so for what happened afterwards.

 A couple weeks ago, I found myself walking along the south end of Waikiki Beach when I noticed a fleet of outrigger canoes hauled out beneath a picturesque stand of palms. Luckily, I was wearing one of my Kai ’Opua tee-shirts. After taking a couple shots of the canoes I noticed two well-weather paddlers, about my age, sitting on an equipment box, talking story. They hailed me to join them which I did.  

“You paddle for Kai ’Opua?” one asked.  

“Yes. What club are you guys with?”  

“Anuenue.” they both replied with pride.

 “Cool. What time are you going out?”

 “4:30.  Want to go?”

 “Absolutely!”

 And so it was. Eight of us headed out in a double-hull.  No sooner had we left the beach when the trade winds started to gust. It seemed to be blowing 15 knots and gusting to 25 knots.  Multiple times I had to duck down with each stroke to keep my hat on. There also was a steady series of 3’ swells hitting us on the beam as we paddled parallel to Waikiki.  We paddled from the south end of the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor to the Natatorium, about 6 miles.  We then turned west for about 10 minutes so we could turn back diagonally to Kahanamoku Bay putting the swells on our stern. When we finally turned back, we started surfing the rollers, one after another. Several of the larger ones swamped us from the stern keeping the guy behind me busy bailing the water out of the canoe.

Through all this, we maintained a steady sixty-plus strokes a minute with no breaks.  The only thing that was ever said, about half way back, came from the steersman who hollered out, “Kai ’Opua!”


It wasn’t like I was paddling better or worse than anyone.  They were all good seasoned paddlers and I was just holding my own.  It was more like a shout out of acceptance and acknowledgement. When we got back on the beach, we all congratulated each other and they invited me back – anytime. 

The next day during a walking tour of the Bishop Museum I came away a truer sense of how outrigger canoes have been woven into the cultural fabric and art of Hawaii. There is just something about being in an outrigger canoe in the ocean with your brothers and sisters that make you feel the spirit of aloha and all the tradition within.

Memorable for sure.

“Anuenue!”

 

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