Background
Kapahulehua was born on Ni"ihau, in 1930 and picked up the name "Kawika" as a young adult crewing catamarans on Waikiki Beach.
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Kawika Kapahulehua
Edit ProfileCareer
In later life, he taught the Hawaiian language, wrote vocabulary books, and officiated at traditional Hawaiian rites. Kapahulehua died in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Achievements
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The famed 1976 voyage of the Hokule"a was beset with problems, but ultimately successful. The goal was to see if a 62-foot-long, two-masted canoe that approximated ancient canoes could be sailed without navigational equipment on the 2,250-nautical-mile (4,170 km) journey. While navigator Mau Piailug guided the ship, Kapahulehua had to deal with 6 of 17 crew members who quit their duties at sea. A 1978 attempt in which he did not participate capsized after six hours and led to the death of surfer Eddie Aikau.
