New Zealand-based musical group Te Vaka is in town to perform as part of this year's Makahiki Pasifika festival.

But the 13-member ensemble has two other objectives during its week here: spread the message of Polynesian pride and educate the public about a small island nation 270 miles north of Samoa called Tokelau. There are no airports on any of the series of coral atoll islands — to get there requires a boat ride of 13 to 36 hours from Samoa, depending on wind patterns.

Opetaia Foa'i, Te Vaka's leader and primary songwriter, said it's important for Pacific islanders, especially Polynesians, to understand the breadth of what their ancestors achieved.

"The Polynesians, the original pioneers, conquered the Pacific Ocean with a canoe," Foa'i said.

That heritage is what inspired Foa'i to start Te Vaka, which means "the canoe" in Tokelauan. Much of Te Vaka's music is about the history of Polynesia.

"Climbing Mount Everest is fantastic, but I think what these guys did is fantastic as well," Foa'i said. "To conquer one-third of the planet, to me, is a massive achievement and I didn't hear too much of that in school. I've always felt they were underacknowledged."

That pride in the Polynesian culture is what led band members to conduct "workshops" this week at various campuses on O'ahu.

Te Vaka stresses that it is a Polynesian band. Its 13 members, whose ages range from 10 to 50, trace their ancestral origins across the Pacific, from Samoa to New Zealand and the Cook Islands. The band has yet to include a Native Hawaiian, but Foa'i said it's a possibility. "We'd welcome it for sure, definitely," he said.

Nearly all of the band's songs are written in Polynesian languages, primarily Tokelauan. "I find (Tokelauan) the most comfortable to write in," Foa'i said.

The band's dance routines also are an amalgamation of traditional Polynesian dances, including aspects of the Hawaiian hula, said Sulata Foa'i-Amiatu, a Tokelauan and one of the band's lead singers. "They are subtle, but it's our way of saying we do represent Polynesia," she said.

On Tuesday, band members met up with students from three Hawaiian charter schools on the Manoa campus of Halau Ku Mana.

While Te Vaka's albums and concerts are more contemporary affairs, the workshops focus on traditional Polynesian elements.

Both teachers and students came away impressed by the band, said Daniel "Keola" Nakanishi, Halau Ku Mana principal.

"To say the students were responsive was an understatement," Nakanishi said. "They're awesome role models in showing pride and love for one's culture and that was a message that came out very clear through words and actions."

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.