2022 Taitung Blue Ocean Daily—Taitung’s First Ever Long-Distance Outrigger Canoe Challenge Rediscovers the Glory of the Austronesian Origin Point

TAITUNG, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – Taitung launched its new Taitung Blue Ocean Daily festival on September 17 at four of the county’s iconic maritime venues: Shanyuan Bay, Jinzun, Flowing Lake, and Green Island. There will be 5 weeks of activities between these famous locations. Many paid a visit to Shanyuan to witness the spectacle that is the Outrigger Canoe. For this year’s event, Kimokeo Kapahulehua (Unkle K), an international expert from Hawaii, was invited to share his story about how his Austronesian ancestors thousands of years ago sailed from Taiwan to Hawaii on canoes. Unkle K arrived in Taiwan to sail on the Outrigger to further connect with his ancestors. On Thursday, 22 September, the Taitung County Government collaborated with Kimokeo Foundation in Hawaii, and the local Duli tribe to undergo the challenge to sail a long-distance on an outrigger canoe on Taiwanese waters for the first time. The canoe departed from the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean and sailed towards the traditional waters of the Duli tribe, establishing a meaningful milestone for the 2022 Taitung Blue Ocean Daily.