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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

So is it "lie-chee" or "lee-chee"? Chef Kale has some strong opinions on the correct way to say "lychee" (and honestly, I get it).

Hawaiis Only Lychee Vs Leechee

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: How you say "lychee"?</title>

Today’s Social Media Find comes from @hawaiisonly with the correct way to say it.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: How you say "lychee"?

So is it "lie-chee" or "lee-chee"? Chef Kale has some strong opinions on the correct way to say "lychee" (and honestly, I get it).  Make sure to follow @HawaiisOnly on Instagram!

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

At the ‘Ewa end of Waikīkī lies a 22-acre resort with more than 2,800 guest rooms and its own 5-acre lagoon. But before the Hilton Hawaiian Village and surrounding resorts were built, the place was called Kālia.

Streams from Mānoa and Palolo Valleys ran down toward the ocean and joined to create the Pi‘inaio Stream. This stream flowed beneath and through the Waikīkī marshlands, entering the sea at Kālia. This estuary, where freshwater mixed with the salty ocean, created a unique environment that supported a diverse array of life.

The Kālia shore was abundant with marine life and limu of all varieties. Kūpuna have described the once-common practice of walking across the reef to choose lobster, crab, shrimp, or octopus for a quick meal. One could pick ‘oama (young goatfish) by hand from the shallows because the schools of the young fish were so plentiful. As the ‘ama‘ama (striped mullet) made their annual runs across the south shore of O‘ahu, the men of Kālia would swim out in a row, surround the fish, and drive them into a bag net by slapping the water and kicking their feet over the shallow reef.

On the mauka portion of Kālia, there were many loko i‘a (fishponds) and loko i‘a kalo (taro fields used to raise small fish). A complex system of gates unique to Kālia helped manage the many interconnected ponds.

After Western contact and throughout the 1800s, epidemics of smallpox, typhoid, mumps, whooping cough, and influenza devastated the Hawaiian population. In the aftermath, Waikīkī’s once-thriving agricultural system began to change forever.

In the 1920s, in the name of “progress,” the Ala Wai Canal was dredged, and the marshes, the lo‘i kalo, and the loko i‘a were filled in. Waikīkī was on its way to becoming the epicenter of Hawaii’s tourism industry.

After changing hands a few times, the property finally came under the ownership of Henry J. Kaiser, founder of the Kaiser Permanente health system. In 1954, Kaiser purchased the properties along the Kālia shore to build the Hawaiian Village Hotel, consisting of thatched-roof cottages with 70 guest rooms, gardens, and swimming pools. Hilton Hotels & Resorts then purchased the property in 1961.

Since then, the Hilton Hawaiian Village has expanded and added several new towers, including the Rainbow Tower, with its 286-foot-tall ceramic tile mosaic made of more than 16,000 individual tiles.

Over the years, the resort has been a popular choice for celebrities and dignitaries, including Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and Michael Jackson. However, it has also attracted otherworldly visitors.

The most famous ghost story of the Hilton Hawaiian Village is that of a beautiful but mysterious woman wearing a long red mu‘umu‘u with blue and white print that extended to the ground, covering her feet. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper printed this story in 1959.

One afternoon, a housekeeper said that a tall, stately woman with long, reddish-black hair suddenly appeared from nowhere. The Hawaiian woman had a beautiful, dark complexion and a smiling, happy face. But what the housekeeper remembers most is that the woman seemed to shimmer, as if she were giving off a faint, otherworldly glow.

Just as the woman asked for directions to a particular room, the housekeeping inspector approached and offered to show her to the room she was looking for. While the housekeeper watched them leave, the woman had disappeared just as suddenly as she arrived.

The inspector didn’t notice right away and continued to the requested room. When she turned to point it out, the woman wasn’t there!

“I was talking to myself,” she said hauntingly, “It was unbelievable. The woman had disappeared into thin air!”

Over the years, similar stories have surfaced at the resort. Both locals and visitors have reported sudden encounters with a mysterious woman in the hotel’s hallways or in other areas of this haunted resort. She's described as beautiful, barefoot, often dressed in red, and sometimes glowing. She may ask for directions or a ride or simply smile and disappear.

Some believe these sightings are visitations from Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes. She is said to take many forms, most often a regal woman in red or an old woman cloaked in mystery. Her appearances are often fleeting but powerful, leaving behind a sense of awe and reverence or a quiet warning.

Whether it is truly Pele who walks through the halls of the Hilton Hawaiian Village or something else entirely, those who have seen her never forget. But ancient goddesses aren’t the only supernatural visitors here. Over the years, guests have reported unexplained sightings throughout the property, in the rooms and halls of the resort’s towers, along the beachfront and lagoon, and on the sidewalks throughout the village.

What makes these hauntings unique is that the apparitions seen aren’t always dressed in old-fashioned clothing as one might expect. Instead, they often appear in modern attire, like everyday hotel guests.

One visitor shared his own Hilton Hawaiian Village ghost story with us. He said the crosswalk at the front of the resort was crowded one night, humming with sounds of tourists, traffic, and music. He and his wife stepped off the curb, weaving between people, heading for the nearby Kālia Tower. That’s when they both noticed him.

A young Chinese man, looking barely twenty years old, wandered through the crowd. He wore a windbreaker, khaki pants, and a backpack and looked lost. His mouth moved in a quiet monologue, and his eyes darted about like he didn’t recognize where he was. It was strange but not unheard of, as Waikīkī draws all kinds of travelers.

The tall, broad-shouldered visitor instinctively prepared to shoulder past the young man who seemed to be heading straight toward them in the crowd. But as the couple approached the other side, the visitor felt something odd in the air. The young man passed within inches of him. He was so close that he could see the stitching on the man’s sleeve and the worn straps of his backpack. He didn’t flinch or move aside. He just kept walking forward, murmuring to himself.

Without a word to each other, the visitor and his wife immediately turned around, sensing something was off. The crosswalk behind them was still busy, the path unobstructed, but the young man was gone.

Not just out of sight… Gone. There was no one jaywalking across Kālia Road, and they would have seen him if the man had walked toward the Hale Koa Hotel. Even if he’d sprinted, they still would have seen him. They scanned the area in silence and then looked at each other. No words needed. They both felt it.

Some places absorb energy, especially where confusion, trauma, or sudden death occur. That energy plays back like an endless loop of memory, repeating forever. What they saw probably wasn’t a person. It was an imprint caught in the folds of Waikīkī, still trying to find its way home.

HHV Rainbow Tower

<title>Haunted History of Hilton Hawaiian Village</title>

Over the years, staff and guests alike have reported seeing, even speaking with, mysterious lone figures who then vanish without a trace.

Haunted History of Hilton Hawaiian Village

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Capt. Sam LeMar, Officer of the Salvation Army Hilo Temple Corps., overseeing the Hilo Overnight Safe Space, says things have been going well since the shelter’s September 2024 launch.

“We have been full every night. It is evident that the need is great, and the shelter is really benefitting the people in this community,” LeMar told Aloha State Daily by email. “Like any new project, it is facing its own unique set of challenges.”

One challenge, he said, is turning people away. “To address this issue, we are planning to expand the shelter to 50 beds.” The site at 219 Ponahawai St. opened with 25 beds.

Another problem is the lot condition on which the shelter sits upon, he said, adding, “Our gravel and dirt lot creates problems with mud, flooding and dust, which increase maintenance expenses and sometimes trigger trauma responses in guests. … To solve this, we hope to grade and asphalt the area, which will require additional funding.”

 said the project received two-year funding totaling $1.8 million dollars from the state and county. Initially, $400,000 went toward construction, a shower trailer and hiring 12 staff members.

“We are currently hiring staff to support the shelter expansion to 50 beds. It’s tough work, but the reward of providing a safe place for people to rest is immeasurable,” LeMar told ASD, “While the shelter is simple — cots, porta-potties, a shower trailer, picnic tables — it’s the staff that make the real difference. Their compassion and dedication create a place of hope and dignity.”

The Salvation Army’s mission is “to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” 

He added, “We constantly hear from the community how clean and well-kept the shelter is. Our upkeep is very intentional. We’re located downtown, and we believe it’s important for us to add to the beauty of Hilo — not detract from it. We also want to show that caring for our most vulnerable can be done thoughtfully and with excellence.”

To date, LeMar has had many memorable experiences, which “remind us daily why this work matters,” he said. A few that come to mind are:

•   A young pregnant couple — after she gave birth, we were able to help place them directly into housing.

•   A young man waking up after his first night at the shelter and saying, "That was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

•   An 80-year-old kūpuna, who was found hiding under a lifted truck during a rainstorm — we were able to bring her into the shelter for safety.

•   Guests who after being placed into permanent housing, return to volunteer and give back.

“The program is truly working. When we first started, the goal was simple: get people out of the rain, provide a meal and offer them a safe place to rest. Since we opened our doors in September 2024, we have already placed 56 people into housing through the help of our incredible community partners. That’s double our current bed capacity — an amazing accomplishment in just eight months.”

For more information about The Salvation Army's Hilo Temple Corps., 

Hawaii Homeless Shelter Salvation Army 062824

<title>Salvation Army’s Sam LeMar shares updates and plans for growth for Hilo shelter</title>

Leadership of The Salvation Army Hilo Temple Corps says since its opening last September, the Hilo Overnight Safe Space “is doing well.” Looking ahead, the organization aims to expand bed and staff capacity, along with its services.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: How you say "lychee"?

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: How you say "lychee"?

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Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Shaka Smiles

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Kitchen jamz is a recipe for guaranteed good times

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: TACOMA FIGHT!

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