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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Just rollo over them, all good!"}]

SouthShoreBBClub

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Get boogie with it</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @SouthShoreBBClub, who avoids tourists with style.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Get boogie with it

Just rollo over them, all good!  Make sure you follow @SouthShoreBBClub and @KaipoiKoa on Instagram!

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Andre Ilagan grew up in Kalihi, the youngest son of a basketball family. His parents told him upfront that he wasn't going to grow up to be tall, and he'd also have to find a way to pay for college on his own. 

The Ilagan family bought cheap rackets at a Goodwill Store. Young Andre was hooked, and he'd spent countless hours honing his craft at Kalākaua District Park in Kalihi. 

Going all-in on tennis proved to be the right choice each step of the way for Ilagan, who grew to become 5-feet-8. He was a two-time state champion at Farrington High School, then signed with the University of Hawai‘i on a tennis scholarship after graduating high school in 2018. 

Ilagan cemented himself as one of the program's all-time greats in Mānoa, earning first team All-Big West honors in singles and doubles four times each. In his senior year in 2023, he became the first UH men's player to earn ITA All-American honors. 

Ilagan, who has pursued pro tennis after graduating, is set for the next big step in his journey. On Tuesday, he'll take on Tristan Boyer at the U.S. Open qualifying tournament at the 

USTA Billie Jean King National Center in Flushing, N.Y. First serve is set for 7:20 a.m. HST. Ilagan was one of nine players to earn a wild-card invite, becoming the first former 'Bow to earn an invite to the tournament. 

"It's definitely cool," Ilagan says of the opportunity. "I've reached a level and a point where I was watching these guys on TV and now I'm playing against them, and I can beat them now. ... Playing those guys and having the chance to be on court with them and have a chance to just beat them. When I go play the Open or even these challenger events that you get these former top 100 guys or top 10 guys that are legends of the sport, you just take it all in."

Not one to lack for confidence or honesty, Ilagan mentioned money when asked what he's excited about heading into U.S. Open qualifying. 

"To be honest, all I'm thinking about is like, man, that paycheck is definitely gonna help me," Ilagan said. "That's like the biggest thing right now. I hope to qualify because it would be exciting just to see like an $100K bank transfer into my account, and as a 25-year-old, and maybe never again in my life, I might not have this in one transfer. It was going to be unreal if I can qualify, that's like 30 grand minimum, and you can't ask for much more."

While Ilagan says nerves will not be a major issues as he takes the court on Tuesday, seeing the work he put in during his childhood come to fruition promises to be another memorable moment for him.

"Coming out of Kalihi in general is cool. I mean, I love it," Ilagan said. "It just builds character for me. I take pride it in every time."

Andre Ilagan 082426

<title>Kalihi's Andre Ilagan set to make history at U.S. Open</title>

The Farrington and UH alum is the first former Rainbow Warrior to be invited to the U.S. Open.

Kalihi's Andre Ilagan set to make history at U.S. Open

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Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

The Honolulu Police Department is continuing to investigate the death of a 50-year-old flight attendant whose body was found in a Waikīkī dumpster last week.

On Thursday, Aug. 20, HPD responded to reports of a dead body in a dumpster at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikīkī. At the time, HPD told Aloha State Daily that the case was being handled as an unattended death investigation and that foul play did not appear to be involved.

 the deceased as Moore, Oklahoma resident Jenny Lupton, a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, who was in Hawai‘i on a layover.

[{"type":"text","text":"On Monday, HPD reiterated that the case is still under investigation."}]

“At this time, no conclusions have been made regarding the manner of death,” read the HPD statement.

Detectives of HPD’s homicide detail are reportedly working with Lupton’s family, reviewing surveillance video and more, in “a thorough investigation that will take time.”

Further information or details about the investigation will be withheld as it remains ongoing. However, HPD will notify the community “if investigators identify an immediate threat to public safety.”

On behalf of Jenny Lupton’s family, we ask for patience as detectives conduct this investigation and respectfully request that the family’s privacy be honored during this difficult time,” read HPD’s statement. “We encourage the public to rely on verified information from official sources and to avoid sharing unconfirmed information that may cause unnecessary concern or confusion.”

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<title>HPD investigating body found in Waikīkī dumpster</title>

Jenny Lupton, 50, was found dead in Waikīkī last week.

HPD investigating body found in Waikīkī dumpster

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Sterling Higa

Government & Politics

Columnists

Neal Milner called it “the biggest political insurgency in Hawaiʻi since statehood.” He meant the 2014 governor’s race. That year, a little-known state senator named David Ige beat a sitting governor in the primary by 36 points.

 this week, Milner wants more of that kind of politics in Hawaiʻi — more upstarts, more disruption, more of the sparks that fly when voters throw out the people running things.

Milner’s not wrong that Hawaiʻi elections have gotten dull. He’s wrong about what happened in 2014. The difference matters. The next time a challenger takes on a sitting official here, this is the story readers will reach for.

David Ige was not an upstart. He was the establishment, waiting.

By 2014, Ige had spent nearly 30 years in the legislature. He chaired the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which is a dull sounding but powerful position. Money bills pass through Ways and Means or they don’t pass at all.

Ige’s wife had built her career as a teacher and public school administrator. That made her a member of the two largest public sector unions: the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association and the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association. These unions and their retired members made up the core of the Democratic primary electorate. When Ige entered that race, he wasn’t kicking down a door. He already had a key.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Neil Abercrombie handed him the house."}]

Abercrombie arrived in the governor’s office in 2010 wanting to fix things that badly needed fixing. The state’s retirement system had been quietly bleeding money for decades. Its flawed design came from an earlier era: Now a schoolteacher could retire at 55 and live past 90, drawing benefits for longer than she’d worked. Someone eventually had to say so out loud. Abercrombie said it loudly, in his first legislative session.

The 2011 legislative season featured Abercrombie’s fixes. Workers had to pay an increased share of contributions. There was a tax on pension income and an end to paying pensioner Medicaid costs. There were also closed loopholes on overtime and the “high-three” rule, tricks civil servants had used to spike their pensions.

But Abercrombie made a mistake. He let the fix become his. His name got attached to the pension tax and to the retirement system overhaul. Ways and Means, chaired by a patient senator named David Ige, let the bills sit long enough to cement the association in voters’ minds, then killed them quietly in committee.

Abercrombie took the blame for proposing painful things. Ige took the credit for killing them.

A wiser politician might have survived even these furious constituencies. But Abercrombie found room to fit several more in his stable of enemies.

He called a special legislative session to legalize same-sex marriage — an act of conviction that cost him badly with religious voters. He passed over Colleen Hanabusa for the U.S. Senate seat Dan Inouye had asked her to fill on his deathbed, straining a relationship with the Japanese American base that had anchored Hawaiʻi Democratic politics for two generations. He also picked a funding fight over the Pro Bowl, like a linebacker rushing off the field to sack the water boy.

When reporters pressed Abercrombie on his combative style, he offered the line that still makes press secretaries wince a decade later: “I’m not your pal. I’m not your counselor. I am the governor.”

Abercrombie’s political instincts were honed on the University of Hawaiʻi campus in the heady 1970s. He then worked for decades as a legislator, often serving as a vocal minority, a role he played well. His fundamental posture was opposition, and this temperament was unsuited to executive office.

Getting elected as governor requires piecing a coalition together. This means promising everything to everyone, but it also means choosing which groups will form the base. Smart special interests will know from a candidate’s platform which groups they favor. And smarter special interests will ensure loyalty by placing trusted personnel close to the candidate.

A governor must be sensitive to stakeholders in our largest industries: tourism, the military, and construction. They have to show some willingness to work with organized labor. Even Lingle knew unions, having worked with the Teamsters and Hotel Workers. And a governor must blend this stakeholder management with public relations skill.

But after the election, governing means choosing among myriad goals.

Issues that resonate on the campaign trail are not always priorities in office. And not all issues can be addressed given time and resource constraints. Thus, a governor surveys the terrain and chooses a few destinations.

Then they must herd twenty-odd departments, count noses in the legislature, and curry public favor through the media. All this must be done while responding to the news cycle and natural disasters and scandals.

The governor must also watch his back. Ambitious legislators and even the lieutenant governor may try to stab him. The media sics their bloodhounds. And his executive actions may even be attacked in the courts.

It is a job akin to Moses leading murmuring Israel through the desert.

Abercrombie’s fiscal diagnosis was sound. But a governor isn’t called to diagnose the patient. He’s called to operate. However, operating takes more than skill with a blade. Abercrombie pulled out a bonesaw before administering anaesthetic, and the patient was understandably disturbed.

When the patient had a chance to leave the operating room, she did, seeking a second opinion.

Another surgeon offered to delay surgery, which sounds better than the bonesaw.

But the patient needed surgery. Arguably, the state still needs surgery to ensure its liabilities don’t outstrip its ability to pay.

Ige didn’t storm anything. He watched a talented, well-intentioned man dismantle his own coalition one constituency at a time, and then he picked up the pieces that were left. Calling that an insurgency flatters everyone involved. It makes Ige sound braver than he was, and it makes Abercrombie’s downfall sound like the triumph of a movement rather than a long series of his own unforced errors.

Labeling Ige as an insurgent also masks the overarching failure of his administration. Ige proved too patient while governing, to the point of inaction. Aside from memorable gaffes like forgetting his Twitter password during the missile alert crisis, Ige’s administration is notable for… nothing.

Ige hamstrung his administration within his first few months. He 

 as his nominee to head the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Ige did not predict the backlash Ching’s nomination would generate, and he did not secure the votes necessary to confirm him. The ordeal guaranteed that Ige would draw on a small talent pool for his remaining term in office.

Ige stalled the stadium, and he punted on TMT. He claims credit for Hawaiʻi’s health outcomes during the pandemic. But that owes more to our clean air than to any policy intervention.

Ige surrounded himself with a small, loyal circle of advisors, but he never seemed to grasp their limitations. Mike McCartney and Linda Chu Takayama were earnest, but not skilled enough to right the ship of state. And that’s to say nothing of Ford Fuchigami, who recently 

Ige at least could recognize his limits as a communicator, though it’s unclear why he did not bother with public speaking classes during his nearly 40-year career in public service. George Ariyoshi felt a similar insecurity, and he responded with practice and eventually became a competent public speaker.

Even where Ige should have excelled, he failed.

An engineer by training, Ige offered teachers a bit of fan service: a project to air condition 1,000 of the state’s school classrooms. But the Cool Classrooms Initiative ran over budget and didn’t reach the hottest classes in the state, according to an 

A quarter of the $100 million appropriated for the project went to external design consultants and firms. At the end of Ige’s eight years in office, students in many classrooms across the state were still sweltering.

Abercrombie was a man of the left, but the temptation that ruined him — boldness mistaken for a governing philosophy — has no party. It is simply what happens when someone convinced of his own rightness stops doing the slow, unglamorous work of building consent for his vision.

What can be said for Abercrombie is that he had a vision. Ige had none. There is nothing in his eight years as governor that suggests a coherent plan. Even his Hawaii 2.0 planning exercise 

, perhaps because governors usually announce plans during their first two years in office, not their last two.

To position either man as an insurgent is to distort history.

Abercrombie and Ige prove that one can win election as governor of Hawaiʻi without the vision and temperament necessary to govern well.

Changing that will take more than an insurgency.

David Ige Getty Images 955853062 16x9

<title>Ige wasn’t an insurgent. He was next in line.</title>

A senator who chaired the most powerful committee in the Capitol waited quietly while a governor burned through every ally he had. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on what Hawaiʻi’s most famous “insurgency” proves about governing.

Ige wasn’t an insurgent. He was next in line.

Ed Rampell

Arts & Entertainment

At the August 22 ribbon-cutting ceremony in the 

, black belt Michelle Manu, a practitioner and teacher of lua, the ancient Hawaiian martial art, “open[ed] something that, to my knowledge, has never existed before: a permanent museum exhibit devoted to warrior women… A declaration that the warrior woman belongs in the historical record. And maybe more importantly: that she always did,” Manu said in her speech inaugurating the cultural institution’s Warrior Women exposition.

Adorned in a Hawaiian feather cape, Manu went on to tell assembled martial arts acolytes and aficionados: “I don’t believe today is simply the opening of an exhibit. Today we gather fragments of history and say: ‘We see you.’ Not because women suddenly became warriors. Not because the 21st century invented powerful women. Not because history has finally granted women permission to stand beside men. But because we are becoming capable of seeing what was there all along … The other half of warrior history.” 

The Warrior Women exhibition is mounted in an 8,000-square-foot space at Glendale, Los Angeles County. The Martial Arts History Museum claims to be the world’s only educational venue displaying and preserving the patrimony of global self-defense disciplines. It is a reliquary featuring related artifacts, ranging from samurai swords to a workout uniform worn by Elvis Presley, who studied karate in 1958 while a soldier based in Germany and became a 7th-degree black belt. Displays focus on the depiction of martial arts in anime, animation, movies and TV shows, including, naturally, a Bruce Lee section.

Following Manu’s inaugural address, her daughter, Malia, wearing a feather cape, cut the red ribbon held aloft by her sons, officially opening the Warrior Women exhibition. As Manu describes it, the display consists of “informational boards and an informative video” which “as curator, I helped put together the vision in the video, as well as all of the boards’ information.” Through photos and wall texts, female soldiers and defenders over the centuries are chronicled.

They include: Maui-born chiefess Manono, who died in the 1819 Battle of Kuamo‘o at Kona, and Mo‘o Alā, an all-women special forces regiment serving under O‘ahu’s Queen Kūkaniloko. Others showcased include France’s 15th-century patron saint Joan of Arc; the Philippines’ Gabriela Silang, who resisted Spanish colonizers in the 18th century; and the African warrior Viola Davis depicted in the 2022 film “The Woman King.” Manu says she hopes to “accumulate an armory within the exhibit” featuring traditional weapons.

The Museum’s various galleries highlight traditional martial arts from countries including Japan, China, Korea, Philippines, etc. Museum founder and president Michael Matsuda, a 10th degree black belt in monkey kung fu, called the Hawaiian exhibition “one of our most exciting sections in the entire museum. ʻŌlohe Solomon Kaihewalu, one of my dear, dear friends, donated all his weapons, made just for the museum… His expertise and uniform are here in the museum. Through one of his top students, kumu Michelle Manu, his legacy is carried on.”

Inside a glass display case, Kaihewalu’s woodwork includes: “Paddles; newa, a handheld club, some of them have nihomanō – tiger shark or great white teeth – within the actual club; pāhoa, a single edged dagger; and the maka pāhoa, a double-edged dagger,” relates Manu, the exhibit’s custodian. 

Manu explained to Aloha State Daily, “Lua is the only Indigenous warrior art for the people of Hawai‘i… It looks a lot like ceremonial hula from ancient times, just made into contact. Hula is not contact; lua looks very, very similar, utilizing the same movements, only it is contact.” 

Kaihewalu, Manu’s mentor, “hadn’t trained a woman since the early ’80s; 20 years had passed.” An athletic devotee, Manu surpassed expectations and may be today’s only publicly-known female Lua master. She earned a 10th degree black belt and the titles ‘Alihikaua (general) and “Knight Commander” of O’ahu’s chapter of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, originally established in 1865 by 

perpetuate Hawai‘i’s ancestral culture, customs, and traditions.

Manu has authored books about lua and as a kumu, teaches the age-old Hawaiian martial art, viewing it as a pathway to female self-empowerment, in arenas from domestic abuse to the battlefield. But she teaches all genders, and one of her pupils, Kia‘i Ikaika Kūkaniloko – originally from Mākaha, now living in Orange County – attended the Warrior Women opening. He described Manu as a “phenomenal teacher” because “kumu embodies the essence of Lua, she lives it with every breath of her.” Some attendees traveled all the way from Chicago for the exhibit’s unveiling, such as Crystle Diño, who teaches Filipino martial arts at the Windy City. Janel Barlongo, who has taught traditional Filipino self-defense techniques Kali and Silat at UCLA and beyond, also attended.  

Manu, currently a Huntington Beach, California resident, traces her ancestry to her father’s homeland, the Big Island, where she’s returning September 3-6 to co-present the Koa Wāhine Retreat in Kailua-Kona at Kahalu‘u Ma Kai, which Manu calls “sacred land, where there’s a birthing stone and several temples.” Manu added the retreat is “a series of workshops; of course, Lua has to be involved, mostly geared towards women finding their inner warrior. We don’t just do lua or move in lua. We move in hula, we learn more about the warrior massage, and mostly we learn about the metaphysical aspect of how we can use our voice and mana, much as ancient women warrior did back in the day… I’m specifically focusing on our wāhine identity, in ancient times and modern times. How do we conduct ourselves? How do we move through the world? How do we deal with adversity? I’ll also be speaking about connection to the ʻāina. We’re actually going to be at an ancient heiau.”  

For more information on that retreat, click 

Ed Rampell and Luis Reyes co-authored the new book 

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<title>Hawaiian martial arts master inaugurates “Warrior Women” exhibit at L.A. Museum</title>

Michelle Manu presides over new exhibition paying tribute to female protectors, defenders and combatants at world’s only museum honoring international self-defense disciplines, including ancient Hawai‘i’s lua. She resides in California but returns to the Islands next month to lead a women's retreat on Hawai‘i Island.

Hawaiian martial arts master inaugurates “Warrior Women” exhibit at L.A. Museum

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Located on the second floor of Lilia Waikīkī on Kūhiō Avenue, Waikīkī Market and 

 are celebrating their grand reopening on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Full-service grocery store Waikīkī Market will offer new and updated features, including an expanded selection of locally made products.

The market’s customizable loco moco station is a new attraction. Shoppers can choose from proteins — including braised short ribs, chicken katsu cutlets and salmon chazuke patties — rice and toppings to create the ultimate loco moco.

Shoppers can also look forward to more than 12 musubi varieties, new plate lunch options, and mochi malasadas in flavors like ube, yuzu lilikoʻi, strawberry lemonade matcha and more.

Meanwhile, ‘Olili — the restaurant located within Waikīkī Market — is launching a new happy hour menu, available from 4 to 6 p.m. Customers can enjoy $6 pūpū like lemongrass chicken satay, crab rangoons and curry chicken spring rolls, along with cocktails like the coconut wireless ($20) and tiki torch ($10).

The eatery is known for its contemporary cuisine and Island flavors. Its revamped dinner menu features updates on some of the most popular dishes.

Choose from appetizers like kanpachi crudo ($23), kabocha pork dumplings ($15), “pho” roasted bone marrow ($24) and triple-cooked steak fries.

The crudo is unique in that it features dry-aged Kona kanpachi served with chili garlic sauce, Thai basil, extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt. The “pho” roasted bone marrow features oxtail ragu with Vietnamese herbs and chili crunch, along with grilled sourdough.

The triple-cooked steak fries are a new dish, comprising thick-cut housemade steak fries served with pipikaula aioli and a katsu sauce for dipping.

Entrée highlights include chili crab noodles, Pulehu half chicken and Szechuan steak and fries “au poivre.” The noodles are a new dish, and feature a creamy saffron-chili sauce with blue crab, shishito peppers, Fresno chiles and brown butter panko.

We’re told the steak entrée features an updated presentation, and its traditional black peppercorn au poivre sauce is toned down, resulting in a less peppery flavor.

The eatery’s halo-halo 2.0 ($12) — with Maui-style strawberry sherbet, liliko

i popping boba, mochi, rainbow jelly and basil-vanilla pineapple — is its newest dessert. Diners can also find customer favorites like the liliko

i meringue tart ($14) — served with blackberry compote and a riesling-kaffir lime sauce — and chocolate ganache crunch tart ($14), topped with a mango glaze.

‘Olili is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays

Waikīkī Market is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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<title>Waikīkī Market and ‘Olili are reopening this week</title>

The market and restaurant — located on the second floor of Lilia Waikīkī on Kūhiō Avenue — are celebrating their grand reopening on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Waikīkī Market had closed for construction earlier this spring, and now offers new features like a customizable loco moco station. ‘Olili has a new happy hour menu and features a revamped dinner menu.

Waikīkī Market and ‘Olili are reopening this week

Pua headshot

Puanani Fernandez-Akamine

Viewpoints

Aloha Spirit

Culturally, historically, and spiritually Waimea, Oʻahu, is a Native Hawaiian cultural treasure of the highest possible order.

During the 11th century the ahupuaʻa of Waimea was set aside for the kahuna nui (high priests). Known for over 700 years as the “Valley of Priests,” Waimea includes three major heiau (temples) and scores of archaeological sites within the valley and along its perimeter including the formidable Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau located atop Keanaloa, Waimea’s northern ridge.

For centuries the ʻāina momona of Waimea supported a population of at least 600 people. Kalo terraces built centuries ago still shape the valley floor and foothills. It is one of the last intact ahupuaʻa remaining on the island of Oʻahu, and generations of kūpuna sleep there undisturbed, secure in the valley’s embrace.

Ever a storied and sacred place, today Waimea is mostly known for her unspoiled beauty and famous 45-foot perennial waterfall that plunges into a 30-foot-deep natural pool. But Waimea is so much more. Over the last two decades, Waimea Valley has become a contemporary puʻuhonua, a place where all are now welcomed to visit.

Few people know, or remember, that this wahi kapu (sacred place) was nearly lost to development.

[{"type":"text","text":"From Hewahewa to OHA"}]

The last kahuna nui to steward the valley was Hewahewa, high priest to both Kamehameha I and II, who died there in 1837. Following Hewahewa’s death, stewardship of Waimea passed to his granddaughter, Paʻalua.

In the mid 19th century, Waimea supported a population of hundreds. But after a series of devastating floods between 1884-1898 destroyed homes and crops, many residents were driven from the valley.

During the same period, Paʻalua foreclosed on Waimea, unable to pay the land tax. Before the century ended, Hawaiian title to Waimea Valley was lost.

The valley changed hands several times until Castle & Cooke purchased Waimea in 1929 and leased it to cattle ranchers. In 1941, the U.S. military took over the valley for training until the end of World War II.

In 1973, Waimea was purchased from Castle & Cooke by Hawaiʻi-based Bishop Corporation (not to be confused with Bishop Estate) to  establish Waimea Falls Park as a botanical garden and entertainment venue. Ownership of the valley was later transferred to Associates Four, a partnership comprised of the same shareholders of Bishop Corporation. Associates Four operated Waimea Falls Park for 25 years, but in the 1990s, due to declining revenue, a decision was made to sell Waimea to avoid bankruptcy.

New York investor and theme park developer Christian Wolffer swept in and purchased Waimea in 1996. He envisioned turning the storied valley into an “adventure park” but his project failed and in 2001 he placed the valley in bankruptcy protection.

Around the same time, an increasingly concerned North Shore community began organizing to oppose further development in Waimea.

After the bankruptcy filing, the City & County of Honolulu initiated condemnation proceedings, taking possession of Waimea in 2002 and leasing the valley to the National Audubon Society to operate an ecological and cultural visitor center.

In 2005, to resolve the condemnation issue, Wolffer proposed a plan to subdivide Waimea and build a commercial attractions park near the front of the valley and luxury homes in the back. Hoping to avoid a lawsuit, the city council gave the plan its preliminary approval.

But when news of this became public it triggered vocal and widespread community protests, including a march on City Hall. Community opposition to the development was so compelling that when the council met to vote on the plan on Dec. 7, 2005, they unanimously rejected it.

A month later, after discussions with city officials, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Board of Trustees authorized the purchase of Waimea Valley.

In August 2006, under the terms of a court settlement with Wolffer, the joint purchase of Waimea by OHA, the City & County of Honolulu, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the National Audubon Society, and the U.S. Army was finalized.

Title to Waimea went to OHA to ensure the preservation of the valley in perpetuity.

[{"type":"text","text":"Hi‘ipaka established to steward Waimea"}]

In addition to 1,875-acre Waimea Valley, in 2006 OHA also acquired 25,856-acre Wao Kele o Puna on Hawaiʻi Island. Both acquisitions were made to protect these lands from development. Suddenly, OHA was a major landowner with a new kuleana for land stewardship.

In November 2006, OHA established a Land Management department and contracted the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society to temporarily manage the valley.

In 2007, OHA formed Hiʻilei Aloha LLC (limited liability company) a nonprofit legally separate from the agency to manage its community assets. Then in 2008, OHA formed Waimea Valley Hiʻipaka LLC (Hiʻipaka) as a nonprofit subsidiary of Hiʻilei Aloha specifically to manage the valley. Upon its formation, title to Waimea was transferred from OHA to Hiʻipaka.

Despite some initial uncertainty, a visit to the valley brought Pezzulo clarity; he knew Waimea was where he was meant to be.

The kuleana for Hiʻipaka was multi-faceted: preserve the cultural and natural resources of the valley while simultaneously building a self-sustaining business operation to support those efforts. It was no small task. “When I started, this place was losing about $1 million a year,” Pezzulo recalled.

“That first year the focus was on organizing — getting everybody on the same page and making sure everybody had input into developing a good strategic plan. One of the main things was watching our spending,” he added.

They also optimized their social media presence, supercharged their branding and marketing, reorganized, made some staffing changes, and then made sure that the people who visited the valley had a really good experience.

“We actually ended up making some money that first year. It wasn’t very much, but since then we’ve generated revenue to sustain our conservation efforts.”

Over the past 14 years, Hiʻipaka has not only generated revenue sufficient to support its stewardship of the ahupuaʻa and meet its payroll, it has also been able build financial reserves to prepare for emergencies.

“We now have about $11 million in an investment fund that is there for emergencies because anything can happen in the valley, like floods and rockslides,” Pezzulo said. He is proud that even when Waimea Valley was closed during the pandemic they were able to continue providing medical insurance coverage for all employees.

Hiʻipaka currently employs 86 people to support its cultural and conservation kuleana. Another 100+ staff are subcontracted to provide a range of guest services and operational support.

“We contracted out the food service — that’s 50 people. We have a lūʻau — 50 more people. We have a lifeguard service, that’s 10 staff. We contracted out the gift shop and they have 10 staff. So well over 200 families now rely on Waimea,” Pezzulo said.

He notes that balancing cultural preservation and conservation efforts with the commercial aspects of Waimea Valley can be challenging and he’s had to say “no” to many people pitching activities for the valley that simply aren’t appropriate.

“It’s about the impact on this valley rather than profit or revenue. It’s looking at everything we do and making sure it supports our mission to preserve and perpetuate the human, cultural and natural resources of Waimea Valley for future generations,” Pezzulo said.

“When I started, the visitor count was about 400 people a day. Now it’s about 1,300. That’s our average. During the summer it’s usually around 2,000 per day, which is about the max we want in here.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Stewardship informed by research"}]

The educational and conservation programs core to fulfilling Hiʻipaka’s kuleana are supported by ongoing research. Pezzulo and his team uniformly point to the decades of historical, cultural and archaeological work conducted by Waimea historian Rudy Leikaimana Mitchell beginning in the mid 1970s until his passing in 2008.

So profound was Mitchell’s impact in Waimea that Hiʻipaka dedicated its outdoor amphitheater to honor his memory. Located toward the back of the valley the amphitheater is where Hiʻipaka hosts its weekly Ka ʻAha Hula i Waimea (the gathering of hula at Waimea) featuring hālau from around Oʻahu.

“Uncle Rudy Mitchell was an amateur archaeologist who uncovered a lot of the cultural sites and developed a lot of the cultural programming here at Waimea,” Pezzulo shared.

Building on the work that Mitchell began is Hiʻipaka Research Director Dr. Alana Kanahele. She and her team are responsible for researching and documenting the valley’s cultural, historical, botanical, and archaeological ‘ike. Their work supports multiple departments including Cultural Programs, Botanical Conservation, Education & Training, and Marketing & Communications.

Although she now lives in Honolulu and commutes to Waimea each day, Kanahele grew up in Waialua and her pilina to the valley is lifelong. “My parents were married here 47 years ago right at the upper meadow,” she smiled. “This place has always been really important to my family.”

In addition to supporting the programming efforts of other Hiʻipaka departments, Kanahele and her team also collaborate with outside researchers and write for academic publications.

“We’re bringing researchers into the valley from BYU-Lāʻie and UH Mānoa for a number of different studies. It’s been a really exciting time,” Kanahele said. “We have a herbarium and library here on site, so we are bringing the community in to use these resources.”

Noting that Waimea is steeped in moʻolelo Kanahele points out that, “We have three different major heiau: Puʻu o Mahuka which is up above us on Keanaloa; Kahōkūwelowelo which is a navigational heiau; and Kūpopolo.”

Other important, but smaller, cultural sites in the valley include Hale o Lono Heiau which is still used by cultural practitioners; Kuʻula Shrine dedicated to the fishing god, Kuʻula; and Hale Iwi believed to be a burial temple for an individual of high-rank.

“Waimea is a very special place,” Kanahele added. “We think of it as a puʻuhonua, a place of healing, a place of refuge, a place for high priests. This has always been a place for education.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Educational programs for everyone"}]

Hiʻipaka offers a range of cultural educational programs, including school-based experiences that bring about 6,000 haumāna from 135 Oʻahu schools to the valley each year.

Literally building on this momentum, Hiʻipaka has just completed a new traditional hale under the direction of master builder Kumu Francis Palani Sinenci near the entrance to the valley.

The hale is sited on a 4-acre parcel, Puʻukua, and was built to support a new K-12 educational program that Hiʻipaka is developing. The area will be planted with native trees like koa, an agroforest with food-producing trees like ʻulu, and a lei garden.

Purchased in 2016, Puʻukua was the last remaining privately-owned parcel on the valley floor and Hiʻipaka’s first land acquisition using money from its Legacy Fund.

In addition to offering a variety of school programs, Hiʻipaka also offers family-focused programs suitable for any age, a program designed for kūpuna, and another for teachers. They also have a resident cultural artisan program that brings in practitioners from the community to teach on topics like launiu and lauhala weaving, kapa making, and ʻukulele.

Hiʻipaka Cultural Programs Manager Kaʻumealani Diamond has worked in the valley for 17 years. She began working at Waimea after OHA reopened the valley and likes to say, “I sleep in Mililani, but I live in Waimea.”

A natural born storyteller, Diamond is passionate about sharing Waimea’s history along with its cultural and spiritual importance but finds it difficult at times to protect the sanctity of this wahi kapu while welcoming visitors who may not comprehend the valley’s significance.

“That is why education is really important to help them understand where they are,” she said. “I’m a true believer that you cannot fault people for what they don’t know. But once they do, it becomes their kuleana to behave and carry themselves in a way [that is appropriate] in a sacred valley.”

To manage the ongoing challenge of being culturally authentic in a commercial setting, Diamond believes it’s important for the Cultural Programs team to truly understand Waimea Valley. “I mean, take your shoes off. Walk in these places. Sit in these places. And listen. We are in service to this place. I know she will feed us, but we give first. That’s how it works,” she said.

“I am just trying to hold space here for all of the kūpuna. It’s not about us. It’s about all those who came before us and what footprint are we leaving for those who will follow.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Building pilina through sharing"}]

For Hiʻipaka Cultural Programs Coordinator Kimo Jenkins, working at Waimea in the late 1970s was life changing. Born and raised on the North Shore, he was about 19 when took a job at Waimea as a tour guide and met Rudy Mitchell, the valley’s celebrated historian.

Waimea is a wahi kapu with a storied history that dates back a thousand years. An understanding of this is what its stewards hope to share with those who visit the valley — and what they hope that those who visit will take home.

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Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see Disney’s live action adaptation of the animated film ‘Moana’

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