Polynesian pride: Three-day canoe voyage in mid-Pacific

RAPA NUI, Chile (AP) — A daunting canoe voyage — covering almost 500 kilometers, or about 300 miles across a stretch of the Pacific Ocean — is underway. It’s the Hoki Mai Challenge, which started in Rapa Nui, a territory in the Pacific that is part of Chile and is better known as Easter Island.

The event consists of a canoe voyage by nine Rapanuis, two Chileans and one Hawaiian seeking to celebrate the union of the islands of Polynesia. The 12 athletes have been training six days a week since mid-September, preparing for a three-day voyage that will take them from Rapa Nui to Motu Motiro Hiva, another island in the mid-Pacific that belongs to Chile.

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