They started out in New Zealand four months and 15,000 miles ago, sailing wind- and sun-powered canoes. And here they are, the Pacific Voyagers, heading into Paradise Cove to be met by kayaks and paddlers, toasts and speeches, and a local troupe of hula dancers.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

The canoes are replicas of the traditional vaka moana canoes Pacific people used to explore and settle the tropical islands of the Pacific and New Zealand centuries ago.

The canoes, each about 70 feet long, carry a crew of 16 sailors from some of the smallest countries in the world, including the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Tonga.

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They began their trip in April from New Zealand, and sailed on the first leg to Hilo, in the Hawaiian Islands, navigating by the stars, as their ancestors did. However, the modern voyagers have canoes with hulls made of fiberglass instead of wood, and equipped with solar panels to power onboard equipment.

Though the ancient mariners steered by the stars, their descendants communicate on the Internet. The expedition has a website - www.pacificvoyagers.org - and they are on Facebook and Twitter as well.

There's a beach barbeque for the sailors and public tonight here in Malibu, after which the South Seas visitors head south to Baja California via San Diego. And then, later this fall, it's back home to the Pacific Islands.

Get all the details at Pacific Voyagers.