Kahana Canoe Club keiki paddlers pose for a photo with head coach George Vierra and assistant coach Jeffrey Higgs at the club's first regatta of the 2026 season. Photo courtesy Kahana Canoe Club

Kahana Canoe Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary as the club prepares to host its annual Nāleiʻehā Regatta on Saturday at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park in Lahaina.

Founded in May 1976 by the Nāleiʻehā ʻohana on the shores of Kahana, the club was established to perpetuate Hawaiian culture, community and the traditions of outrigger canoe paddling.

According to the club, it was created during a period of rapid development and social change, with the goal of strengthening family and community ties through hoe waʻa (paddling a canoe).

The annual regatta is named in honor of the Nāleiʻehā family, whose efforts helped establish the club and its mission.

Over the past five decades, Kahana Canoe Club has relocated from Kahana to Mala and eventually to its current home at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park.

Club leaders said its identity has remained rooted in its people, values and traditions throughout those changes.

“Today, marking 50 years of Kahana, we celebrate not just a club, but a legacy born from that same spirit of kuleana and resilience,” said Pāʻele Kiakona, vice president of Kahana Canoe Club. “Kahana has been the foundation of my entire journey. From keiki paddling to now, I have learned that outrigger canoe paddling is never simply about the boat or the paddle. It is about standing together as a crew and recognizing that none of us can succeed alone.”

The club said those values continue to guide its mission as West Maui continues recovery and rebuilding efforts.

The Kahana Canoe Club’s women’s open four crew celebrates a first-place finish at the 2026 Dougie Tihada Regatta. Pictured (from left) are Aubrey Huey, Jenn Lindsey, Mikey Burke and Noe Keahi. Photo courtesy Kahana Canoe Club

Kahana Canoe Club also reports to be experiencing growth.

Under adult coaches Steve “Bear” Keahi and Pāʻele Kiakona Sr., the adult paddling program has expanded to more than 50 paddlers, ranging from beginners to kūpuna in their 80s. The club’s keiki program is led by George Vierra and supported by Jeffrey Higgs.

“Returning to Kahana this year has felt like coming home,” said Mikey Burke of the Nāleiʻehā ʻohana. “This club was founded by the generation before me, during a time when they worried that the forces of change were pulling families apart and weakening the connections to culture and community that had always sustained our people. They believed that the waʻa brought people together, strengthened cultural identity, and created a place where families could stay connected to one another and to the values that shaped them. Fifty years later, I see generations of families connected by the very values they set out to preserve.”

Community members are invited to attend the Nāleiʻehā Regatta on Saturday at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park. More information is available at kahanacanoeclub.org.