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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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76.strokes

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Teed up</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @76.Strokes, who’s stuck in the tee box.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Teed up

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Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

[{"type":"text","text":"Beginners's luck? Hardly. "}]

 field, won the race in its first year competing in it on Sunday. The team, which consists of paddlers from Hawai‘i and Tahiti, unseated Team Bradley, which won the previous five iterations of the race. 

On Sunday, 73 outrigger canoe paddling teams consisting exclusively of women gathered in Molokai, trekking 40.8 miles across the Ka‘iwi Channel and finishing at Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon in Waikīkī. Ihilani Va'a was the first to do it on Sunday, crossing in five hours, 51 minutes and four seconds, finishing just 45 seconds ahead of Team Bradley. 

For a team that came together as quickly as it did, celebration is warranted. 

"I'm gonna eat ice cream," said Donna Kahakui, a member of Ihilani Va'a, just minutes after crossing. "I think we're just gonna spend time together, appreciate the moment. This is a lifetime dream. ... To come in and do this is a gift from the Gods."

Previous trips to Tahiti allowed Kahakui, a native of Papakōlea, to gel with her teammates. 

"I've been very fortunate to be able to paddle with Tahitians over all these years. And then Ihilani, they allowed me to come down to Tahiti and paddle with them and learn and try to get better in my skills," Kahakui said. "When they wanted to come, we said we'll try to help you if you need. ... We so appreciate being able to paddle with the Tahitians.

"Ihilani Is a club, they come together. They love one another. They're a family, pretty much like Team Bradley," Kahakui said. "They come together. They consider themselves a family. So today, they did it for each other. ... We did the best we could for them, and we're on the right side today, and we're very feeling very fortunate."

Kahakui, a Na Wahine O Ke Kai veteran, last won the race in 1992 with Outrigger. 

"To be able to cross the channel and win, I mean, I am beyond words to be able to win this race after so many years," she said. "I've been across this channel many times and fighting and sometimes you lose a lot, you get the second or the third. So, for this one, to be able to hold on, and we held on together, it was amazing. Shoutout to Team Bradley, who kept it real."

Team Bradley entered Sunday's race winners of five straight Na Wahine O Ke Kai competitions from 2016 to 2019, as well as when the race returned from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2024. Team Bradley, an O‘ahu-based team, has 13 titles in total, the most in Na Wahine O Ke Kai history. 

"They're amazing," Kahakui said. "Team Bradley is formidable. However, we did come in to try to build the women's program in Tahiti. ... But Bradley, there's nothing bad to be said about Team Bradley. They have made their mark, and they're amazing paddlers, and we feel very fortunate."

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Na Wahine O Ke Kai 092825

<title>First-timers win Na Wahine O Ke Kai</title>

Ihilani Vaʻa, competing in the race for the first time as a team, ending Team Bradley's string of five consecutive titles.

First-timers win Na Wahine O Ke Kai

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

[{"type":"text","text":"A second lawsuit has struck embattled landowner Maui Land & Pineapple."}]

Maui Land & Pineapple has been embroiled in a legal battle with a group of area owners associations and TY Management Corp., the owner of the nearby Kapalua Golf Courses, over a water management dispute since August.

, accusing MLP of failing to properly manage the resources of the Honokōhau ditch system, leading to worsening water supplies during ongoing drought conditions and, ultimately, the cancellation of the PGA Tour’s annual Sentry Tournament, which was to be held at the Kapalua Plantation Golf Course in January.

 accusing TY Management of overusing water from the ditch system to irrigate the golf courses, breaching TY’s contract with MLP and violating the State Water Code.

On Thursday, a TY Management and the Plantation Estates Lot Owners’ Association — or PELOA, one of the plaintiffs in the August lawsuit — filed a second suit against MLP, this time accusing MLP of "sneakily" annexing land in order to seize power within the Kapalua Resort Association.

TY Management, PELOA and MLP are all members of the Kapalua Resort Association and have voting power within the Association proportional to the total acreage that they own within the Kapalua Resort area. According to the lawsuit, TY Management, through its ownership of the two Kapalua Golf Courses, had approximately 40% voting power by the end of 2023, while MLP had about 33%.

However, in 2024, the lawsuit alleges that MLP and its CEO, Race Randle, conspired to increase MLP’s voting power by covertly adding about 1,936 acres of non-resort land owned by MLP into the Resort Association.

These annexations, if legitimate, would be a major upheaval for the Resort Association, more than quintupling MLP’s holdings and spiking MLP’s voting power to 73%, a supermajority allowing MLP “unchecked power,” the lawsuit claims, including the authority to appoint and remove Resort Association board members.

The lawsuit alleges that Randle — a Resort Association board member both at the time and currently — submitted documents executing the annexations with the Hawai‘i Bureau of Conveyances in Dec. 2024 and Jan. 2025. However, the broader KRA membership was not informed of those annexations for months.

When general membership did learn of the changes, board members questioned MLP as to whether the annexations adhered with guidelines set out in the Resort Association’s Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions. MLP allegedly responded by stating that, based on the Declaration, “neither the Board nor the Association gets to decide or pass judgment on any annexation … nor does anything in the [Association] Declaration say that an annexation requires acceptance or approval of the Board or the Association.”

Regardless of whether an Association member can unilaterally grant itself a supermajority of voting power, the lawsuit claims that the annexations were illegitimate for various reasons. Some of the parcels, the suit argues, were not eligible for annexation due to Maui County development plans, while another parcel had already been partially annexed previously.

Every annexation, however, was also improperly executed, the lawsuit goes on, without sufficient information provided during the annexation filings.  

On top of all of this, the suit also alleges that Randle and MLP then proposed an amendment to the Association’s Declaration that would further grant MLP additional power within the Association and curtail the rights of other members. For example, the amendment would give MLP — and only MLP — double voting power, terminate rules setting limits on the amount of dues owned by members and more.

Consequently, the suit accuses MLP, Randle and two other board members — John Tolbert and Al Haar — of violating their contracts with the Association, breach of fiduciary duties, gross negligence, tortious interference, and more.

The plaintiffs seek damages against the defendants, the removal of Randle and Tolbert from the Association board — Haar resigned in June — a court order voiding the annexation, an order blocking the proposed amendment to the Association Declaration, among other things.

Aloha State Daily reached out to MLP and attorneys for the plaintiffs for comment.

Maui

<title>Second lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple alleges power grab</title>

Suit accuses landowner of "sneakily" attempting to seize control of Kapalua Resort Association.

Second lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple alleges power grab

During strenuous outdoor youth basketball practices in the North Shore, Julian Williams often found himself glancing over at the beach nearby. 

Williams would see some of his friends running with joy and smiling before getting in the water at Hale‘iwa Beach Park. Over on the basketball court, Williams described himself as "not happy, sweating and getting yelled at."

A teammate's father brought multiple surfboards to a birthday party, showing Williams how to wax a board and put a leash on it. Then it was time for Williams, a middle schooler at the time, to get into the water. Williams was instantly hooked. The freedom of being in the water and standing up for a second or two at a time left him wanting more. Although Williams got his start in surfing later than others on the 

Williams, whose grandfather is a pastor at Waialua Christian Church, grew up attending church every Sunday. Surfing quickly became another avenue for him to explore his faith. 

"It was my spiritual place," Williams tells Aloha State Daily of the water. "I grew up in the church. I found that I had a stronger spiritual connection to my higher power and to myself when I was in the ocean, and that's kind of what kept on drawing me back."

After getting accepted to Kamehameha as an eighth grader, Williams dormed at the school in order to save time on the daily commute from Waialua. He graduated in 2018, enrolling at the Los Angeles Film School after high school. 

"As a Hawaiian, I was always taught, especially at Kamehameha, that it is our duty to perpetuate our culture," Williams said. "I think not only being a surfer, but being a waterman is a very big part of Hawaiian culture. For me to be able to share the love and share the respect, not only to people in Hawai‘i, people all over the world, will only make this respect and love and appreciation for the ocean grow."

Now 25, surfing has continued to be an avenue for Williams to explore and embrace his roots. In July, Williams became the first black Native Hawaiian to compete in the World Surf League after he earned a wildcard slot in the US Open of Surfing.

On Saturday, Williams will look to defend his shortboard and longboard titles at A Great Day in the Stoke, an event organizers call "the largest gathering of black surfers," in Huntington Beach, Calif. Williams has won a total of five titles at the event, which debuted in 2022. 

"Being that I am African American and that I am Hawaiian, I feel the sense of ownership of surfing and knowing that it is who I am and it is what I come from," Williams said. "It has allowed me to kind of take this space and be the representation that I don't see, and it's allowed me to be a lot more confident in doing so, knowing what I come from, knowing how Hawaiian I am, knowing how black I am, I can go out there and pridefully say that this is what I do, because my ancestors have been doing this for centuries, for hundreds of years, probably before it was even recorded that we know they're doing this."

Williams' passion for surfing was accelerated by his mentor, the late Montgomery "Buttons" 

Kaluhiokalani, who was revered in the sport but passed away in 2013 due to a battle with lung cancer. Like Williams, 

Kaluhiokalani was black and Native Hawaiian. 

"When I was going out surfing, he was the only person that looked like me, so we instantly kind of connected. I had the big fro, he had the big fro," Williams recalled. "We were both dark-skinned. And although, yes, Hawaiians are dark-skinned as well, I still didn't look like or fit that mold. Nobody really knew I was Hawaiian, even after I graduated high school."

As evidenced by his postsecondary education, Williams says he's passionate about film and storytelling, a pursuit that began with an interest in photography during his days at Kamehameha. 

With a desire to display who he is beyond surfing, Williams put out a 

short film in 2024 in collaboration with NOWNESS, titled "Makai."

"It's a really cool kind of little like peek into my journey," Williams says of the film, which dives into some of the challenges he faced in his childhood. "I go to tears every time I see it."

Julian Williams 092825

<title>Waialua's Julian Williams embraces his heritage and roots in surfing journey</title>

Williams, a 2018 Kamehameha alumnus, became the first black Native Hawaiian to compete in the WSL in July.

Waialua's Julian Williams embraces his heritage and roots in surfing journey

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

The Hawaiʻi International Film Festival announced the short and feature films in the running for its Made in Hawaiʻi awards on Thursday, Sept. 25, at a media event at HIFF headquarters in Kaimukī. Beckie Stocchetti, the festival’s executive director, and Anderson Le, its artistic director, also highlighted changes to the festival this year, including the addition of a new conference.

“Recipients of HIFF’s Best Short Film Award and HIFF’s Best Made in Hawaiʻi Short Film Award are eligible for consideration in the animated and live action short film category of the Academy Awards,” Stocchetti said.

This is the ninth year in which HIFF has given out Made in Hawaiʻi Awards, she said.

The festival, presented by Halekulani Hotel, returns for its 45th year with events on Oʻahu, Maui, Lānaʻi, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island and Molokaʻi. It starts Wednesday, Oct. 15, and runs through mid-November and will include 220 films, including 117 Hawaiʻi premieres and 42 world premieres, according to numbers shared at the press event. A total of 46 countries will be represented in the film program, Stocchetti said.

“We are really excited to have such a diverse program, and especially so many world premieres,” she said. “We are honored and excited to have that many world premieres.”

Nominated features for the “Made in Hawaiʻi Award - Feature Film” include:

Those nominated for the “Made in Hawaiʻi Award - Short Film” include:

This year, the festival will end with a new event, the three-day 

, instead of a closing night film. That conference includes networking and pau hana opportunities, as well as panel discussions, including one featuring 

, one of the screenwriters for the Apple TV+ series “Chief of War,” which he created alongside 

. Several producers will also be part of the conversation.

“HIFF has a long-standing commitment to both showcasing film but also uplifting our local industry,” she said. “So, we looked at: how can we do that better and stronger? And the conference we're planning is really looking at bringing people together in the local film industry with talent and executives from across the world to have a really deep dive into how we can advance the film industry here in Hawaiʻi, as well as individual careers.”

Festival passes start at $200. Attendees can also purchase admission to individual films. 

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Filmmakers

<title>HIFF announces films nominated for Made in Hawaiʻi awards</title>

Want to watch a made in Hawaiʻi film? The Hawaiʻi International Film Festival will have a number of them in theaters as part of its competition for Made in Hawaiʻi awards for best short and feature film. The festival is also a qualifying event for the animated and live action short film category of the Academy Awards.

HIFF announces films nominated for Made in Hawaiʻi awards

 the Apple TV+ mini-series about uniting the Hawaiian Islands, which debuted Aug. 1, actor Moses Goods plays Moku, the advisor to the future King Kamehameha I. Written and executive produced by Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, the series shares the story of Kaʻiana, played by Momoa, as he tries to unify the Islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century.

 New episodes drop every Friday through Sept. 19.

With four episodes left in the nine-part series, Goods spoke with Aloha State Daily about getting into character. His favorite part of playing Moku?   

“It would have to be the layers of this particular character and what’s weighing on him,” he said. “He's someone that he saw the prophecy when Kamehameha was a baby, when he was born, and he saw the end result. And he's devoted his life since that time to now to achieving those results, which means he had to do some things that maybe didn't sit well with him, like use his daughter as a pawn in this game. But this is something that he believes wholeheartedly in, and he believes this is what is needed for Hawaiʻi, for the people, for the lāhui, and so he does it. Just those layers of him being a politician and being a father, to me, makes for a very interesting character.”

Goods is no stranger to films that share the history of the Islands, often entirely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. He recently played the Chief of East Maui in the short film “Kūkini,” which shares the same conflict as “Chief of War” from the eyes of a messenger, or kūkini, for Maui. He also wrote “Duke,” a one-man show about Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary surfer and Olympic gold medalist.

These kind of roles often mean potraying ancestors, “which in our belief, are still with us, are still around us,” he said.

“So my process involves opening the door for them to come be with me in whatever way that they choose,” he said. “That's how I prepare for it. He did come through that door in a very real way, and it has helped and elevated my portrayal of this kupuna. Even though he's someone that I'm not connected to by blood, he is someone that now is with me. And I'm doing what he told me to do.”

Moses hopes the “Chief of War” series continues to do what it has already done, which is spark conversations about culture, he said.

“It's sparking things that are contrary to what people think Hawaiʻi is because a lot of people that don't grow up here, they think Hawaiʻi is surfing, grass skirts — cellophane skirts — and a very touristy idea of what they believe Hawaiʻi is, and now it's giving them an entirely different view of what Hawaiʻi is, and one that's a little closer to reality," he said. "That's already taking place, and I just want more of that. I want people to watch this show and be intrigued and be curious about Hawaiian culture and language and history.”

When asked about challenges of filming the series, Goods was quick to mention wearing the traditional 

, or loincloth, in New Zealand. Even though the series is set in Hawaiʻi, it was filmed 

“It's freezing,” he said. “And particularly some of those council scenes, where it doesn't even look that cold. ... That was my biggest challenge, was just dealing with the cold of New Zealand, because it gets really cold over there.”

Moses describes himself as an introvert who “found my way out of my shell” first through sports and then theater, he said. He grew up in upcountry Maui with cows, horses, chickens and rabbits.

“The forest next to where we lived was where I would go and just let my imagination just soar,” he said. “So that's really the secret to my acting. I grew up immersed in my world of imagination, and I'm still able to access that. And I allow that realm of imagination to intersect with the spiritual realm and all of that. To me, it's all connected.”

“But that also meant that I spent most of my time in that imaginary world,” he said with a laugh. “And being around actual people is something that I was very nervous about. Sports helped me through that, and then when I finally got to theater, I was really able to just open up and allow myself to use being another character to get me out of my shell.”

Goods attended Maui High School before going on to study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. What does he want viewers of “Chief of War” to take with them after the show?

“I just want people to continue to celebrate these things,” he said. “Even living in Hawaiʻi, a lot of people have been intimidated by the culture, right? ... Learn more. Start with your street names. Learn how to pronounce a street name correctly, if it's a Hawaiian street name. Learn what an ‘okina is —  a kahakō. It's never too late to start at the bottom and work your way up. ...  Don't be ashamed. Learn the language. Learn the culture. Immerse yourself, whether you're Hawaiian or not. Immerse yourself in this beautiful place that we're in — Hawaiʻi — and all the different layers of it.”

 There is a seven-day free trial for Apple TV+. After that, access to the streaming platform costs $12.99 per month.

Moses Goods

<title>Actor Moses Goods shares how he gets into character for “Chief of War”</title>

With four episodes left of “Chief of War,” the Apple TV+ mini-series written and executive produced by Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, Aloha State Daily talks story with actor Moses Goods, who plays Moku, advisor to the future King Kamehameha I. He shares how he gets into character — and one challenge of wearing a malo in New Zealand.

Actor Moses Goods shares how he gets into character for “Chief of War”

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Real Estate

A Waikīkī project more than five years in the making has hit a milestone.

Developers last week topped off Ka Haku, a Hilton Club, a new timeshare property under construction by Hilton Grand Vacations, an Orlando-based timeshare company.

Dozens celebrated the topping off Friday at the Honolulu Zoo, including leaders and from HGV and Nordic PCL, the project's contractor, among others.

A senior superintendent told the crowd gathered that getting to this point was a group effort.

"There's a lot of work that's been put into this project, and it does take the group to get to where we're at," they said. "The structure top-off is a major milestone. Let's celebrate it today. Let's enjoy ourselves today. But we still have a lot of work to do."

Located at the former King's Village site at 131 Ka‘iulani Ave., the timeshare offers 213 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites; a private arrival and departure lounge; state-of-the-art fitness center, pool and pool bar; and a Japanese-style bathhouse.

Tyler Middleton, senior director of development for Hilton Grand Vacations, told Aloha State Daily on Friday that construction on the project began in 2019, "and we were about a year into all of the underground work and then Covid hit."

"We made the decision to shut the project down," he continued. "We quickly became the most expensive parking lot in Waikīkī."

Middleton says the developer got approval to restart the project in spring 2023 and "remobilized" that fall. Ka Haku is expected to be finished and open in summer 2026.

The last of the concrete has been poured and the roof has been completed, but Middleton notes that the crane will remain on site for a few more months to lift some heavy equipment onto the rooftop and into the tower.

As for the work that remains, he told ASD, "It's just going to be all the interior work," including mechanical, plumbing and electrical, furniture, mill work, finishes, paint, wall coverings, tile, flooring and more, as well as the work in the public areas.

[{"type":"text","text":"There will be two retail spaces on the ground floor, Middleton says."}]

After nearly six years, Middleton says it "feels great" to reach this point.

"[At the] end of the day, Hilton Grand Vacations has had very little to do with it other than selecting a great team to build the project, and [we] couldn't be more proud of everyone that's had their hands, their fingerprints on this project and to get us where we are today."

HGV currently operates 13 resorts across four islands, including six on O‘ahu. Ka Haku — which HGV says is named in honor of Prince Albert Kamehameha — is the 14th Hilton Grand Vacation resort in the state and is the only Hilton Club in Hawai‘i. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Middleton says Hilton Club is the company's \"luxury brand.\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"He declined to disclose the cost of the project."}]

When asked what the project means for the Waikīkī community, he said, "This is just a continued testament that Hilton Grand Vacations is 100% committed to Waikīkī, O‘ahu, the Hawaiian Islands."

According to Middleton, the project has generated more than 500 construction industry jobs during the build, and will support 150 to 175 full-time employees once it opens.

He said, too, that HGV also will make a $1 million contribution to support projects selected by the Honolulu City Council that will "benefit both residents and visitors here in Waikīkī." Additionally, HGV will make a donation to the Waikīkī Community center for every sale, approximately $10,000.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Teed up

Kady Pascual

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Teed up

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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