For over 30 years, Nā Kālai Waʻa has carried on the work five Waimea community organizations began together in 1993: raising up voyagers, caring for our ʻāina, and keeping the practice of waʻa kaulua alive in Kohala. From Mauloa — carved by hand from a koa log we still return each year to honor — to Makaliʻi, Hōkūliʻiliʻi, Alingano Maisu, and Lauhoe, our fleet has grown alongside the more than 30,000 keiki, kūpuna, and community members we've served.

That work doesn't happen on its own. It happens because of moorings kept sound at Kawaihae Harbor, canoes maintained and provisioned for every sail, the canoe house at Mahukona kept standing, and the people — our crew, our kumu, our staff — who show up to teach, to steer, and to pass on what they know. Your gift supports all of it: the voyages and the everyday upkeep, our Holokai, Hanauna Mau, and Ke Aho Halau O Makaliʻi programs that put our youth on the water and in leadership, and the quieter work of mālama that keeps Hoea Moku, Mahukona, and Kawaihae ready for the next generation.

In 2025:
1,500+ program participants across Holokai, Hanauna Mau, and Ke Aho Halau O Makaliʻi
1,200+ lbs of food produced and distributed to community and ʻohana waʻa through Hanauna Mau
12,000+ community members touched through our major community events

We are the only voyaging canoe organization serving the Kohala district, and we carry that kuleana seriously. Every gift — one-time, monthly, or annual — moves us closer to a future where our waʻa, our people, and our ʻāina thrive together.

Me ka mahalo nui,
Nā Kālai Waʻa