Keiki Gather for Fifth Annual Makahiki Event
By Jodie Rosam | Photos by Eric Edwards
The fifth annual Makahiki games took place on December 12, 2025, at Kahua ʻOlohū, Nāʻālehu. More than 600 keiki from 9 schools participated. This event for local youth (grades 4-12) has grown exponentially from only several dozen students in 2020 to hosting hundreds over the past few years. This year’s event was a huge success, bringing keiki together from Miloliʻi to Hilo to exercise their brains and bodies in Makahiki games grounded in aloha.
Participating schools included Miloliʻi Kua O Ka Lā, Ke Kula Nā ʻAʻaliʻi Ku Makani O Kaʻū, Nāʻālehu Elementary School, Kaʻū High and Pāhala Elementary School, Volcano School of Arts and Sciences, Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School, Pāhoa High School, Kamehameha Hawaiʻi, and Hilo High School.
Stations included Kōnane, Kūkini/Hikihuki, Palaʻie, ʻŌʻō, Moa Paheʻe, ʻUlu Maika, Hū, Pōhaku Hoʻoikaika, Hōlua, Haka Moa, ʻUma, and Hōlua. In addition to providing a non-competitive space for younger grades, a competitive Lanakila course was also set up for high school teams; each was composed of five kāne and five wahine.
Winners from the middle school age group were:
Wahine: Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School
MVK: Cece Millan
Kāne: Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School
MVK: Moki Boy Paikuli
Winners from the high school age group were:
Wahine: Kamehameha Hawaiʻi
MVK: Natasha Mattos
Kāne: Hilo Vikings
MVK: Kaʻaleleo Niau
Kiliona Moku was the emcee for the event, and Hālau Hula Leionālani provided the entertainment. Organizers included Hoʻomalu Kaʻū, Ala Kahakai Trail Association, The Nature Conservancy, and Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School. Funding for the event was from a Kamehameha Schools Kaiāulu program and from the County’s Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission (PONC) stewardship program.
