A wooden canoe, dating back to 1877, was discovered buried in the sand on Mokauea Island in June 1975. In July 1975, the canoe was examined by Dr. Kenneth Emory, Senior Anthropologist of the Bishop Museum, by Herbert Kane, expert in Pacific canoes and Wallace Proiseth, a known canoe restorer. Collectively, these experts determined that the canoe was a genuine Hawaiian fishing village artifact, "one-of-its kind anywhere" (Emory), "a priceless antique at least 100 years old" (Kane) and a "real find – a beauty" (Proiseth). The Mokauea fishermen placed the canoe on log pedestals and built a hale over it.
Over the years, the canoe hale deteriorated and was severely damaged by high winds. To safeguard the canoe for future generations, volunteers and island residents moved the canoe from its original location to the middle of the island on June 16, 2007 and dismantled the remains of the old canoe hale. Kai Makana's volunteers will preserve the canoe and eventually construct a new hale to protect the canoe.