Hawaiki

Overview

Hawaiki is a transpacific submarine cable system spanning approximately 14,000 kilometres. It connects five countries across the Pacific Ocean: American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and the United States. The cable serves a corridor linking the South Pacific island nations with two of the region's largest economies, providing transpacific connectivity between the US mainland, Hawaii, and the southwestern Pacific.

Route and Landings

In American Samoa, the cable lands at Pago Pago, with two landing points in that territory. In Australia, the cable comes ashore at Sydney, New South Wales. New Zealand is served by a landing at Mangawhai. The Tongan landing is located at Neiafu. In the United States, the cable reaches two landing points: Hillsboro, Oregon, on the mainland, and Kapolei, Hawaii.

Ownership and Operators

Hawaiki is owned by BW Digital. BW Digital is the digital infrastructure division of BW Group, a Singapore-based maritime and energy conglomerate that has expanded into submarine cable ownership and operation across the Pacific region.

Status and Timeline

Hawaiki entered service in 2018. The system is currently operational, providing active connectivity across its Pacific route.

Regional Context

The transpacific corridor served by Hawaiki includes a number of other cable systems of varying scale. The Southern Cross Cable Network, ready for service in 2000, connects Australia, New Zealand, and the United States across approximately 30,500 kilometres. Project Waterworth, at 50,000 kilometres, is planned to connect Australia and the United States. Hawaiki's 14,000-kilometre length positions it as a comparatively direct system within this corridor, focused specifically on the South Pacific island groups alongside the major Australia–US and New Zealand–US routes.

Performance measurements over the last 60 days, drawn from 92 ping tests, show an average round-trip latency of 161.4 milliseconds, with a best recorded result of 125.5 milliseconds.

Strategic Role

Hawaiki provides transpacific connectivity for American Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, and Australia, while linking those territories and nations to the US mainland via Oregon and to the mid-Pacific via Hawaii. The inclusion of Pago Pago and Neiafu alongside the larger Australia and New Zealand landings means the cable serves Pacific island communities that have fewer cable connections than the corridor's major economies. The dual US landings at Hillsboro and Kapolei distribute traffic across both Hawaii and the continental United States.