The Epic Journey of the Hawaiian People

The story of the Hawaiian Islands begins not in Hawaiʻi, but thousands of miles away in Taiwan. The ancestors of today’s Native Hawaiians were part of the great Austronesian expansion — some of the greatest seafarers in human history. Starting around 5,000–6,000 years ago, they sailed in sophisticated outrigger and double-hulled canoes, guided only by the stars, ocean swells, birds, and deep ancestral knowledge.

After generations of island-hopping through the Philippines, Indonesia, and Melanesia, they settled in the heart of Polynesia — Tonga and Samoa. From there, they made one of the most remarkable voyages in human history: sailing roughly 2,500 miles across the open Pacific to reach the Hawaiian Islands between approximately 300 and 800 CE, with the main wave of settlement around 400–600 CE. These voyages from the Society Islands (Tahiti area) and Marquesas were not one-way trips — evidence shows they continued traveling back and forth for centuries.

Pele and the Living Spirit of Kīlauea

When the first Polynesians arrived, they encountered a raw, volcanic landscape still being shaped by fire. In Hawaiian tradition, this creative and destructive force is embodied by Pelehonuamea — the powerful goddess of volcanoes, fire, and lightning. According to legend, Pele traveled across the Pacific, digging fire pits in each island until she finally made her home in the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater at Kīlauea, which remains her sacred domain today.

Many Hawaiians still say that when Kīlauea erupts, “Pele is dancing.” Her presence reminds us that these islands are alive — constantly being born and reshaped. For visitors joining our Hilo shore excursions, seeing Kīlauea means witnessing the same forces that the ancient voyagers encountered when they first called these islands home.