Aloha! I’m Kamai.

I'm 14 years old and I live with my family in Kailua-Kona on the Island of Hawai'i .

I want to be a Wayfinder—a Hawaiian navigator—kind of like Moana in the movie, only I'm doing it for real!

Someday I hope to guide a sailing canoe on long voyages across the ocean. There is a lot I had to learn before I even got to go on board the canoe. And I'm still learning.

Some lessons are about sailing and navigation, like tying knots and finding direction by recognizing where stars rise and set in the night sky. But most of the lessons are about life: life on a canoe — and life on our islands. I'm finding out why it's important to look out for each other — and for our environment.

 Where is Kailua-Kona?

You can find my home right here:

I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Living on an island means that just about every place I go is close to the ocean. That makes me happy, because I love being on the ocean. I swim, surf, paddle outrigger racing canoes — and I sail on the canoe — as often as I can.

In some ways, living on an island is probably not like any place else. And in other ways, I imagine it's just like where you live.

Connect & Share! What's your home like?

Go to the next page and share what it's like where you live.
How is it similar to living on an island? How is it different?
Learn about where other kids live, too!