What we're doing

Canoe Tokelau is a project to build and sail a no-longer used traditional Tokelauan Vaka canoe from Tokelau to Western Samoa using no-longer used star navigation.

In doing this, we expect to learn a lot, all of which will be shared through the Canoe Tokelau website. Video clips, audio files, stories from the elders and the views of Tokelauans will all be available here, as well as photographs of stunning Tokelau in all its glory. This allows us to achieve our overriding objective; sharing what we learn with Tokelauan and British students and children so that everyone benefits. At the Tokelauan end, there will be practical opportunities to sail and navigate, carrying Tokelauan knowledge into the future.

A fishing vaka (outrigger canoe) given as a gift by the people of Tokelau to Western Samoa. Ours will be a twin hulled voyaging canoe, and a bit wetter. (pictures: Mikaele Maiava)