HONOLULU (KHON2) -- The best paddlers in the world are coming together this weekend for the return of the Na Wahine O Ke Kai. The Oahu Canoe Racing Association held an event on Monday evening to mark the return of the races after a four-year hiatus. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You The race will return this Sunday across the Kaiwi Channel and is one of the most prestigious women's races in the world. To get the ball rolling, OHCRA partnered with the Outrigger Reef Hotel for an open expo to kick off the event. Investigation underway after iPad catches fire during Hawaiian Airlines flight "We want to bring everybody together one time before they all start paddling and they'll get to see all of each other at the finish line," said Ikaika Rogerson OHCRA treasurer. Forty-eight crews are racing this year, with paddlers from around the world including Lulu Harris, who came all the way from Australia to paddle with her twin sister. "She did regatta season and then she wanted to do the long distance so we invited her to come and now this is going to be her first Na Wahine race together," said Lily King, Na Wahine O Ke Kai paddler. For Lulu, being able to catch the expo and enjoy time in Hawaii before the races is special. "It's very special to my sister, the whole team and with the team, our teammates, it's wonderful," Harris explained. Nineteen-year-old local girl Jazmine Akamu is steering for crew Na Hoopili in her first Kaiwi Channel crossing. "I have plenty of aunties and uncles that paddle, and I've been with a couple of other crews before, so I see them all over here and just talk story, and it's pretty fun," Akamu said. The expo also gave paddlers a chance to snag race merchandise, with cool artwork created with intention. "There's three different designs, it's on the pattern, there's three different styles of rigging for the inside of the ama and the outside, so it's represented in the pattern here, but the pattern is repeated over and over in the different designs," Rogerson explained. A very special shirt has the crew and name of every paddler that will be in the race this year, which is the first time they've ever done this for the Na Wahine. Race Director Luana Froiseth said the excitement is building and they are truly grateful to bring the Na Wahine O Ke Kai and Molokai Hoe back after such a long break. Find more Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai news here "I would like everybody to thank the people of Molokai. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have these races," Froiseth added. The Na Wahine O Ke Kai race will be broadcast on KHII starting at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. A live stream of the race will also be available on KHON2's website.