Queen Lili’uokalani annual canoe race begins Labor Day weekend

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Queen Lili'uokalani Canoe Race | Queen Lili'uokalani Canoe Race/Facebook

The Queen Lili’uokalani Canoe Race, a spirited outdoor event hosted by the Kai ‘Opua Club, started Thursday.

The weekend of events includes four days of racing with the main event on Saturday. Beginning in 1972, the race started on Queen Lili’uokalani’s birthday, Sept. 2 and has continued every year on Labor Day weekend, according to a news release from The Hawaiian Islands’ calendar of events. 

“The Queen Liliʻuokalani Canoe Race was founded in 1972 as a training event for the grueling Nā Wāhine o Ke Kai (women’s) and Molokaʻi Hoe (men’s) long-distance canoe races from Molokaʻi to Oʻahu," according the website. “The race welcomes paddlers from around the globe to compete in the world’s largest long distance outrigger canoe race.”

According to the Queen Lili’uokalani Canoe Race website, the race takes place in Kailua-Kona, and runs down the west coast of the Big Island. Thursday was the warm-up round. Saturday’s race is single-hull and runs 18 miles, from Kailua and Honaunau. Sunday’s race is double-hull, from Kailua Bay to Lymans. Monday’s race features six-person single-hull canoes called the Kopuna Classic. The course map for Monday is being determined.

Named after and honoring Queen Lili’uokalani, the race is a testimony to Hawaiian history and culture. Queen Lili’uokalani was the last and only woman to be queen of Hawaii. She was born in 1838 and adopted by Abner Paki and his wife Laura Kania. They gave her the names Lili'u (smarting), Loloku (tearful), Walania (a burning pain) and Kamaka'eha (sore eyes). When she became queen, her brother renamed her Lili’uokalani which means “smarting of the royal ones,” according to the Queen Lili’uokalani Canoe Race website.

The Queen was called the “Crown Princess” and reigned until her death in 1917. She is famous for her love of music and poetry and “helped preserve key elements of Hawaii's traditional poetics while mixing in Western harmonies.”

Competitors must register on the race website to participate. More information on the specific race schedules and plan of events can be found on the Queen Lili’uokalani Canoe Race website.