A group of educators and other representatives from Hawai'i and across the Pacific returned to Honolulu yesterday from an 11-day voyage to the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The expedition was part of a collaborative effort to address the challenges faced by coral reef conservation and to celebrate the International Year of the Reef.

The trip began July 13 aboard the 224-foot Hi'ialakai, which is specially outfitted for dive-intensive research on remote reefs and is owned and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Even before departing for the pristine marine monument, the group knew something special was afoot. To reduce the risk of introducing invasive species, participants had to purchase new clothes — caps, hats, undergarments, shoes, socks, everything — in Honolulu and freeze the gear on the ship for 48 hours.

The Hi'ialakai traveled to Mokumanamana, or Necker Island, and the French Frigate Shoals.

But the most significant place visited was Nihoa Island, a cultural site that was once home to Native Hawaiians between A.D. 1000 and 1700. This was the first time Pacific Island educators have been able to visit Nihoa, as previous trips were mainly for scientists and researchers.

Once there, getting ashore was a challenge because there are no pathways. The workaround involved riding in a smaller boat right up to the tidal flat and jumping off.

The rewards were endless as the group had an opportunity to go snorkeling, where it witnessed the biodiversity of fish and coral. The participants also hiked and observed many different species of birds that inhabit the island as well as archaeological sites, including shrines and dwelling platforms.

"I think particularly for the Hawaiian participants, they really reconnected with their ancestors on those islands," said Andy Collins, chief scientist of the cruise and education technology coordinator for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. "They view those islands as kupuna, or ancestor islands, and just seeing them reconnect with those islands was extremely special."

Among the participants were 10 educators from Hawai'i — Kaua'i, Maui and Moloka'i — Fiji, American Samoa, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Australia, the Cook Islands and Kiribati.

The group also included two deep-sea researchers from the University of Hawai'i's Department of Oceanography and two local archaeologists from Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"I found it (the trip) very exciting and fascinating because the theme was more like integrating cultural and management with our resource management to see the national monument and take the lessons we observed and learn from that," said Fatima Sauafea-Le'au, coral reef specialist for the NOAA fisheries regional office in American Samoa.

The protection of our natural resources is important, she said, noting that the expedition also built a network of friends among the participants.

Collins said this was an opportunity for participants to also share about what the marine environments are like in their home countries.

"What we're planning on doing (is building) a network of marine educators across Oceania to share our knowledge, to share what works, what hasn't worked in marine conservation, and to continue a cultural exchange between us of how do we view our reefs and how can we inspire the next generation to protect our reefs," he said.

"So essentially, it's a way to bring people together with this experience and then continue that forward — working together to protect the reefs."