Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

A new lounge is lifting off at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.

Hawaiian Airlines has started construction of its new, nearly 13,000-square-foot premium lounge, which will be located at the entrance of the airport's Mauka Concourse. The milestone was recently marked with a blessing ceremony.

"Our guests are increasingly looking for premium experiences throughout their journey, from the airport to our cabins, and across our network," Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson Alex Da Silva told Aloha State Daily in an email. "Our new Honolulu lounge will offer a relaxing and memorable experience that feels distinctly Hawaiian Airlines. It’s also part of our ongoing investments in lounges at our hubs in Seattle, Portland and San Diego so our guests can enjoy an elevated, premium pre-flight experience wherever their travels take them."

, the new lounge — set to open in the first half of 2028 — will welcome about 200 guests and offer an "elevated standard of preflight comfort."

Here, the airline says, travelers will find locally inspired food and beverages, a signature local coffee experience, a full-service bar with handcrafted cocktails, private workspaces and gathering areas, artwork and installations celebrating Hawai‘i artists and more.

"It will expand the company's existing HNL portfolio, which currently includes the Plumeria Lounge and six Premier Clubs across the Islands," the airline says. "The new lounge also complements Hawaiian's recently unveiled premium Leihōkū experience."

The lounge is part of Hawaiian's $600 million Kahu‘ewai Hawai‘i Investment Plan, announced 

. The plan also includes upgrades to Hawaiian's airport lobbies and gates across the Islands, a premium interior retrofit of its Airbus A330 fleet, technology improvements for travelers and exclusive deals for residents who are enrolled in Huaka‘i by Hawaiian, along with other sustainability and community investments, the airline said in the announcement.

Da Silva, however, says that that airline is not disclosing the cost of individual investments.

"The Honolulu lounge, along with the retrofit of our Airbus A330s and renovations to our airport lobbies and gate areas statewide, all represent significant investments within the broader Kahu‘ewai plan," he says.

Alaska Air Group Inc. and Hawaiian Holdings Inc. 

 that Alaska Airlines would acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a deal that was valued at approximately $1.9 billion, including $900 million of Hawaiian’s net debt, according to an announcement at that time. The acquisition was 

 to invest in the premium travel experience for both the Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines brands.

For Hawaiian, that means new interiors for its A330 widebody aircraft, a fleet of 24 that serves destinations in Asia, Oceania and select North America routes, an announcement from the airline noted at that time. That work begins in 2028 and includes 22 Leihōkū Suites for travelers on international business class and domestic first-class flights, ASD reported then. You can read more about Leihōkū 

As for the new lounge, Da Silva says Hawaiian doesn't anticipate any impact to the lobby flow during construction.

"The work area will eventually be enclosed so construction can take place out of view, and we look forward to unveiling the finished lounge when it's ready to welcome guests," he told ASD.

 of Hawaiian in September 2025 and stepped into the role on Oct. 29, 2025. ASD recently caught up Birkett Rakow to discuss the challenges and changes during her first year in the role. You can read that 

Hawaiian airlines lounge blessing 1026

<title>Hawaiian Airlines begins construction on new Honolulu lounge</title>

Located at the entrance to the Mauka Concourse at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, the nearly 13,000-square-foot lounge is expected to open in the first half of 2028.

Hawaiian Airlines begins construction on new Honolulu lounge

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Viewpoints

Aloha Spirit

There are many versions of the legend of Kaululāʻau, the trickster and troublemaker whose father sent him to live on the ghost-inhabited island of Lānaʻi. A personal favorite is “The Sacred Spear-Point,” a short story by King David Kalākaua, which appears in his collection of moʻolelo, "The Legends and Myths of Hawaiʻi."

The king’s beautiful, ornate language was intimidating, and at my young age, I needed a dictionary to understand words I had never seen before. But I was enthralled, and a second read-through let me fully enjoy the king’s writings. The story of Kaululāʻau captured my imagination.

Here was a boy who loved playing tricks on people, but a day came when Kaululāʻau went too far.

I’m sure we all know a prankster from our youth, or perhaps we were the kolohe ones. This writer’s parents and brothers might have pointed a finger at him given the question, but I’m sure my shenanigans were not nearly as traumatizing as those of the son of Kakaʻalaneo.

In any case, Kaululāʻau was the antihero my youthful, kolohe heart needed.

Other versions of the story that I discovered later also shaped my impression of Kaululāʻau. Accounts retold by W. N. Pualewa, Emma Kaʻilipuolono Nakuina, Abraham Fornander, Martha Beckwith, and Mary Kawena Pukui offered new details, different language, and sometimes an alternate perspective.

Comparing the tales shared by these storytellers has given me a deeper appreciation for our Hawaiian moʻolelo. Every version changes things a bit, but the overall arc of the story is the same. What follows is my own respectful retelling, drawn from these sources and from the tradition that has kept the legend of Kaululāʻau alive.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Legend of Kaululāʻau"}]

In the early 15th century, Hawaiʻi was not yet a unified kingdom, and each island had its own rulers. On Maui, the brothers Kakaʻe and Kakaʻalaneo ruled over the island together from Lele, the ancient name of Lahaina.

As the eldest son, Kakaʻe was the legitimate heir, but it is said that an accident in his youth impaired his mental faculties, so Kakaʻalaneo acted as a joint ruler and virtual king in his brother’s stead.

Kakaʻalaneo was the father of Kaululāʻau. He is remembered as a well-respected ruler concerned with the prosperity of his people. Tradition credits him with planting the ʻulu groves that would become one of the defining features of the land as expressed in the name, “Ka Malu ʻUlu o Lele” (the shaded breadfruit grove of Lele).

ʻUlu was highly regarded and considered extremely valuable. To plant one ʻulu tree was a meritorious act, and to plant a grove was an act worthy of the gods. Conversely, destroying one tree merited death, and destroying many was a declaration of war.

Kanikaniaula was a woman of exceptionally high aliʻi status, descended from the line of Kamauaua of Molokaʻi. Despite her status, she lived quietly with a husband of lesser rank, concealing her lineage.

After her death, her spirit encountered ʻEleʻio, the kahu of Kakaʻalaneo and legendary kukini (an elite foot runner and messenger) who restored her to life. Among her possessions was an ahuʻula, a magnificent feather cloak that was unlike anything ʻEleʻio had ever seen. This was the first of its kind in Hawaiʻi.

When ʻEleʻio presented Kanikaniaula and her ahuʻula to Kakaʻalaneo, he was so impressed with her beauty and grace that he made her his queen. She became the mother of Kaululāʻau in a story that is remarkable even before her famous son enters it.

Kakaʻe had a son named Kahekili. Today, he is often referred to as Kahekili I, as this was three hundred years before the time of Kahekilinuiʻahumanu, also known as Kahekili II, who ruled over Maui and Oʻahu during the time of Kamehameha.

Though the cousins Kahekili and Kaululāʻau were about the same age, they could not have been more different. They grew up together, learned from the same teachers, and were taught the same moʻokūʻauhau, but their personalities were quite opposite from each other.

As aliʻi piʻo, the high-ranking chief and the rightful heir to his father’s rule, Kahekili was well aware of his status. A kaula (prophet) foretold that a descendant bearing his name would be Maui’s last independent king. This sobering thought left Kahekili to often worry about the future. He was known for his intelligence and kind-heartedness, and he earned the respect of his people.

Unlike his sacred cousin, Kaululāʻau did not have the strict responsibilities of royal succession.

While Kahekili was wrapped in protocol and ceremony, Kaululāʻau focused on enjoying himself with shenanigans, music, and ʻawa. He was smart, handsome, and blessed with supernatural strength, but was also very kolohe. He was a recklessly wild trickster who would keep the village in an uproar for weeks at a time with feasting and hula.

Kaululāʻau played pranks on members of the aliʻi class, making him popular with the makaʻāinana, the commoners. His list of hijinks included setting waʻa (canoes) adrift, opening the gates of loko iʻa (fishponds), and painting puaʻa (pigs) black to trick kāhuna in their sacrificial ceremonies.

In those days, hearing the call of the ʻalae ʻula, or Hawaiian moorhen, at night was considered a bad omen. This is the famous bird that held the secret of fire until Māui forced him to reveal it.

Because of its ties to the spirit world and the gods, the ʻalae ʻula was viewed with great spiritual reverence and caution. Hearing its sudden cry at night was interpreted as a warning of impending misfortune, sickness, or death in the household.

Kaululāʻau created an instrument that could imitate the call of the ʻalae ʻula, and played it outside people’s homes, causing fear and distress. He also had a talent for making others believe that they were being prayed to death.

Kalākaua says that Kaululāʻau committed an unforgivable offense of disrespecting Kakaʻe, his father’s sacred brother, causing his exile to Lānaʻi. However, Pualewa explains it differently.

Kaululāʻau enjoyed playing a game called keʻa pua, in which he would throw arrows or darts made from the dried flower stalks or tassels of kō (sugar cane). When one landed in an ʻulu tree, he would shake the tree until the dart fell. But if the dart remained stuck, Kaululāʻau would simply pull the tree up by its roots and toss it aside, leaving it to die.

At first, no one thought much about what he was doing, until they realized he kept doing it. Shoot the dart; the dart gets stuck; shake the ʻulu tree; it doesn’t work; pull up the whole tree. In his careless, kolohe way Kaululāʻau continued uprooting the trees until an entire ʻulu grove lay barren.

The people of Lele were incensed, but the kaula, Kūkamolimoliaola, warned against beating or killing Kaululāʻau because the land would be blessed by his deeds. So, as punishment in lieu of death, Kakaʻalaneo said it would be better to send his son to live on Lānaʻi since he is kolohe, just like the spirits on that island. If the spirits kill Kaululāʻau, then so be it. But if he destroys all the spirits, then his kolohe nature will have proven useful.

At that time, Lānaʻi was infested with ʻuhane ʻino and akua ʻai kanaka, evil spirits and man-eating ghosts, including the huge moʻo, Moʻoaleo. They killed animals, destroyed crops, uprooted coconut trees, wrecked the walls of fishponds, and made life quite unbearable for the human inhabitants of the island.

Although kāhuna tried to quiet these spirits, their efforts were in vain. If the kāhuna rid one place of destructive spirits, those kolohe beings would just wreak havoc in another.

Knowing what lay ahead of him, the kaula and kāhuna instructed Kaululāʻau in many charms, spells, prayers, and incantations to help him resist the spirits and monsters. The kahuna nui, Waolani, gave the young aliʻi an ivory spearpoint that had been dipped in the waters of Pō, the realm of darkness and mystery.

The spearpoint was imbued with powers greater than any akua he might encounter. If he drew a line with the point, nothing will be able to pass the mark. If he set it upon a spear and threw it, it would reach its target no matter how far away.

Proving this point, Kaululāʻau mounted the ivory atop a long spear and attacked the akua on Lānaʻi shortly after he arrived. He spent his days hunting down and defeating the spirits that terrorized the island’s people, traveling across Lānaʻi confronting one being after another.

Among the many akua Kaululāʻau encountered, Moʻoaleo proved to be one of his most formidable opponents. Beating this creature required more than simple strength, for the great moʻo avoided Kaululāʻau and remained beyond the influence of the magical spearpoint.

Realizing the moʻo traveled underground, Kaululāʻau used the tip of his spear to draw a circle on the ground, just above the space where the moʻo was burrowing. No matter how deep Moʻoaleo dug, it could not pass the boundary of the circle above him; it could only go deeper. But deeper did not mean escape, for soon the moʻo encountered a lake of fire and was forced to return to the surface. After the moʻo promised to leave Lānaʻi forever, Kaululāʻau erased the line in the dirt and allowed Moʻoaleo to escape to the sea, never to return to the island.

Kaululāʻau did not defeat every enemy through force. His quick thinking and kolohe nature became his greatest weapons on Lānaʻi. In one instance, when the akua asked him where he would sleep, he gave them a false answer and said he would sleep in the thorny puakala patch. When they rushed in to capture him, they were caught on the sharp branches where Kaululāʻau was able to kill them.

In one of his cleverer schemes, Kaululāʻau gathered several akua at Lānaʻihale and waited until they had settled down to sleep. Moving quietly among them, he used kepau, a sticky substance made of ʻulu sap, to seal their eyes shut. With their sight taken from them, they could neither see his next move nor escape. Kaululāʻau then set the hale ablaze, destroying the akua inside and freeing another part of Lānaʻi from their terror.

At Kaunolū, he confronted another gathering of akua. Although he destroyed these monsters, he spared Kānemakua, the spirit who cared for the fish and was destined to become the akua of the fishermen.

Later, he encountered an akua named Kuahulua, described as having a large, protruding belly. Kaululāʻau killed him before continuing toward Mānele.

Eventually, only Pahulu, the god of nightmares and ruler over the ʻuhane ʻino and akua ʻai kanaka of Lānaʻi, remained. Wise to his trickery, Pahulu was not an easy target for Kaululāʻau.

However, on one moonlit night, Kaululāʻau hid in a tree that hung over a spring. As he sat there, waiting for Pahulu to come for a drink, he held a large stone in his arms. Finally, when the akua bent over the water, Kaululāʻau moved the leaves aside and made his reflection appear in the pool below. The image made Pahulu think Kaululāʻau was in the spring, and he dove into the water to seize him. Kaululāʻau dropped from the tree and struck him with the stone.

In one version of this story, Pahulu is killed instantly. But in another, after Kaululāʻau hit Pahulu with the stone, his spirit leaped into the sea and entered a weke pahulu (

). It is said that eating the brains of this fish causes one to be possessed by Pahulu’s spirit, producing terrifying nightmares.

It took more than a year to rid the island of the malicious spirits. Kaululāʻau was so successful in making life easier for the people who lived there that they gave thanks with offerings of the best goods from both land and sea. When Kakaʻalaneo heard about his son’s triumph, he sent word to Kaululāʻau, offering forgiveness and telling him to come home.

But Kaululāʻau found life on Lānaʻi to be enjoyable. He had comfort and companionship and could think of nothing on Maui that he could not get on Lānaʻi. He thanked his father and announced that he would return to Maui sometime in the future, after visiting the other islands.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Land Remembers"}]

The legend of Kaululāʻau doesn’t end with the ghosts he defeated. In a way, the landscape of Lānaʻi preserves the names of the places and beings associated with his exploits.

Lānaʻihale, or House of Lānaʻi, is the island’s highest peak where Kaululāʻau outwitted a group of akua and then defeated them by setting the hale on fire while they were trapped inside.

Kaunolū and Kuahulua still carry the names of places and supernatural beings encountered along his journey.

Even Pahulu, the formidable king of ghosts, lives on in the name Pahulu Well, which is recorded in traditional place-name records of Lānaʻi.

This is how the story of a kolohe boy who was sent to a haunted island became inseparable from the island itself.

Lānaʻi was no longer just the place where Kaululāʻau was banished; it became “Lānaʻi a Kaululāʻau,” the island forever associated with the young aliʻi who rid the place of its ghosts.

[{"type":"text","text":"A Land of New Ghosts"}]

Now, remember that the story of Kaululāʻau took place in the 15th century, and while the youthful Kaululāʻau worked hard to rid the island of the ancient akua ʻai kanaka, there has been plenty of time for new ghosts to appear. Every place has its ghost stories, and Lānaʻi is no exception.

In the center of the island lies Lānaʻi City. Our friend James described the small town he grew up in as having little for teenagers to do. Before cell phones, they would hang out at night, looking for excitement, an activity that almost always seemed to evolve into ghost hunting. The kids never had to search for long, as someone always had a thrilling story.

Children on Lānaʻi still share stories about a little girl whose spirit is stuck at the Social Hall. Hunters tell stories about being followed by a ghostly woman in white, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. We’ve even heard tales of the huakaʻi pō, who still march along their ancient paths.

James explains that a night marcher’s trail comes down from the mountain in the east toward the Social Hall. The Hawaiian Pineapple Company originally built the large bungalow-style home as the plantation manager’s residence. The old house became a community center in the mid-1930s and was simply called the “Social Hall.” Those who lived near the Social Hall often heard the pahu (drums) of the phantom army.

From the Social Hall, the trail makes its way toward the old Hotel Lānaʻi, through Dole Park and the nearby neighborhood, and finally makes its way toward The Lodge and the cemetery beyond. It was at this cemetery that James’ friend got mysterious scratches on her back while ghost hunting one night.

I met a man who grew up on Lānaʻi through our Buddhist organization, and he eventually became my mentor. I affectionately call him “Dad,” although we are not related.

He used to live a block away from Dole Park and said that the huakaʻi pō used to march right through their neighbors’ house across the street and through his god-brother’s house nearby.

Dad also said that, while the pineapple fields weren’t very spooky, there was one spot that gave him chicken skin. As he counted the quarter-ripe pineapples to estimate tonnage for picking, he recalled that standing in this particular spot was like standing in a cone of silence. The sounds of the wind, the birds, and everything just stopped until he moved on to the next spot.

Tales like these are what make Lānaʻi such an interesting place for ghost stories. Generations of people have carried forward the moʻolelo of akua, aliʻi, huakaʻi pō, and ordinary people who encountered something they could not explain. Old paths are still there, the place names remain, and the stories continue.

Today, when someone hears a pahu drum in the darkness, sees a misty figure moving along a deserted road, or finds unexplained scratches on their body after wandering near a cemetery, they become part of that long tradition.

The great deeds of Kaululāʻau live on and become intertwined with stories of younger ghosts who refuse to be forgotten.

This article is reprinted with permission from 

OHA's Ka Wai Ola newspaper: "Ka Moʻolelo o Kaululāʻau and Other Ghost Stories From Lānaʻi," by Lōpaka and Tanya Kapanui in its October 2026 issue, Vol. 43 No. 10. Read more at 

Mooaleo 16x9

<title>Community Voices: Ka Moʻolelo o Kaululāʻau and other ghost stories from Lānaʻi</title>

This is how the story of a kolohe boy who was sent to a haunted island became inseparable from the island itself. Lānaʻi was no longer just the place where Kaululāʻau was banished; it became “Lānaʻi a Kaululāʻau,” the island forever associated with the young aliʻi who rid the place of its ghosts.

Community Voices: Ka Moʻolelo o Kaululāʻau and other ghost stories from Lānaʻi

Cheryl Tsutsumi

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

Columnists

Arts & Entertainment

By the time she was in her teens, Zita Cup Choy had visited historic icons such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Alamo and Independence Hall, thanks to her dad’s career as an Air Force mechanic, which stationed him in France and all over the U.S. continent. But ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian didn’t know much about Hawai‘i as a child, even though her Island roots trace back centuries.

Her Hawaiian Chinese paternal great-grandmother was married to Cup Choy Chun, who immigrated to Maui in 1880 from Sanzao Dao island, off the southern coast of Guangdong Province, to cut cane for Huelo Plantation. Everyone knew him as Cup Choy, so he adopted that as his family name. While fulfilling his seven-year plantation contract, he apprenticed at a butcher shop in Wailuku, where he became proficient in English.

That job ended in 1888, and he returned to China. Two years later, he was back on Maui, working as a butcher, store clerk and interpreter for Haʻikū Sugar Company’s plantation in Hāmākuapoko. By 1894, he had earned enough money to own and operate his first business, a restaurant and coffee shop in Hāmākuapoko, and in 1909, he was able to buy land and open a butcher shop in Kokomo, a community in Haʻikū.

One of 13 children, Zita Cup Choy’s paternal grandfather landed a job with Libby, McNeil & Libby’s sugar plantation on Molokai. Her dad was raised there before joining the Air Force.

In 1970, he was assigned to Hickam Air Force Base. “That was before my senior year in high school; I’m a Kaimukī Bulldog,” Cup Choy said. “My mom, younger sister and brother, and I spent our first summer in Hawai‘i with our ‘ohana on Molokai. 

My grandparents knew just about everyone, so it was always talk-story time when we were out and about. My grandfather taught me how to drive in the pineapple fields with a surplus World War II jeep.”

Cup Choy went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Church College of Hawai‘i, now Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i. She taught on Guam for two years before returning to O‘ahu in 1976, where she held a variety of jobs, including short stints as a preschool and elementary school teacher. Joining the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club at the urging of one of her mom’s friends set her on a new career path.

The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace had been founded on June 7, 1966, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to oversee the restoration and preservation of what had been the official home of King Kalākaua and Queen Lili‘uokalani, his sister and successor, who were Hawai‘i’s last reigning ali‘i. Following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, the palace served as the headquarters for the provisional, republic, territory and state of Hawai‘i governments until the present Capitol opened on March 15, 1969.

Over the decades, the stately building had fallen into a sad state of disrepair, and the Friends immediately began work on what turned out to be a nine-year project. By 1977, the major renovations had been completed, and the group was negotiating a contract with the state to operate the palace as a museum. They reached out to the community, including the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, asking for volunteers to train as docents. Cup Choy signed up, and when the palace, a National Historic Landmark, opened to the public on May 3, 1978, she was among its first docents.

“There are many fascinating stories about people who visited the palace,” Cup Choy said. “The more reading I’ve done over the years, the more I’m convinced that the chamberlain was keeping an eye on the lists of passengers who were arriving on steamers. If there was someone Kalākaua wanted to meet, he or she would get an invitation. They weren’t necessarily dignitaries. For example, because the king was interested in yacht racing, he hosted a man who was associated with the 1876 America’s Cup.”

Recovering original palace furnishings is a key part of the Friends’ mission — difficult largely because many items deemed inappropriate for government use were sold, and no records were kept about the buyers.

Serendipity has come into play. Cup Choy recalled a visitor from Oklahoma City who saw a photo of a small wooden table in the king’s bedroom when she was on a tour in 1980. The table looked exactly like one she had purchased from her florist to use as a flower stand. The florist had bought it from a Christian Science Reading Room in Oklahoma City to use in a display at her shop. Someone from Illinois had donated the table to the Reading Room; how it got to Illinois is unknown.

“After the tour, the woman said, ‘I think we have a table that should come home to ‘Iolani Palace,’” Cup Choy said. “As it turned out, it was indeed one of 200-plus pieces that Kalākaua had commissioned A.H. Davenport and Company, a highly regarded furniture manufacturer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to make for the palace.”

In 1996, the Friends’ management contract with the state transitioned to a lease agreement, giving it more autonomy, although it is still governed by state park rules and those specific to ‘Iolani Palace. Cup Choy has been the palace’s full-time historian since 2016.

“I love digging deep for information,” she said. “I’ll get questions like ‘Who are the people in this picture?’ or ‘What was the menu for such-and-such banquet?’ I’ll go to every resource I can think of — including microfilm at the library, the palace’s archives and the state archives, and the Ulukau and Papakilo databases — hoping to solve another mystery.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Upcoming events and features"}]

Admission to ‘Iolani Palace is free for Hawai‘i residents on the second Sunday of every month. A valid form of state ID is required for one complimentary ticket per adult 18 and older. Younger keiki are admitted free. The next Kamaʻāina Sundays will be Nov. 8 and Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

with chef Ed Kenney and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Amy Hanaiali’i on an episode of “

” which will air on PBS at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 14.

The palace will host King Kalākaua Birthday Celebration on Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first 500 kamaʻāina will receive tickets for a free self-guided audio tour. Queen Kapiʻolani Evening Tours, honoring Kalākaua’s wife, will be Dec. 26-27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Renovations of the exhibit areas in the palace’s basement will be completed early next year. Highlights will include artifacts, photos and narratives about Kalākaua’s 1881 trip around the world. 

In addition, the Royal Hawaiian Band presents free concerts on the palace grounds most Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. The most up-to-date schedule can be found at 

Iolani Palace Zita Cup Choy

<title>Uncles and Aunties: Zita Cup Choy is ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian</title>

After a career spent mostly in education, in both Guam and Hawai'i, Cup Choy joined the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, which set her on a new career path. She joined The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace among its first docents in 1978, and today, continues to lead tours and conduct research, while furthering the nonprofit's mission of recovering original palace furnishings.

Uncles and Aunties: Zita Cup Choy is ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

What started out as a six-week creative writing summer workshop held at Sacred Hearts Academy in 2025 quickly grew into something more.

“The evolution was fast; ironically, we weren’t sure we could write a book in six weeks, so that put less pressure on the students and encouraged greater collaboration,” said Paul Sneed, who previously taught Spanish at the school and is the project lead and editor of “Ghosting Aloha.”

More than 10 students from 7th to 12th grade contributed to "Ghosting Aloha," a newly released young adult coming-of-age novel. Most, though, did not initially see themselves as writers.

“They were intimidated by the word ‘writer' and we pivoted to ‘storyteller’ because most people are storytellers,” Sneed told Aloha State Daily at a book celebration held at the private girls’ school in Kaimukī on Oct. 16.

Early in the process, Sneed, who is now a teacher at Hawai

ʻi Baptist Academy, would prompt the students to draw inspiration from their own experiences and relationships, and share their stories with each other around a lava lamp “campfire” in the darkened classroom.

He encouraged on-campus field trips to the old Bell Tower, chapel and library, which ultimately led the class to discover a 1943 yearbook photo containing “spirits” rumored to be two students who didn't make it to graduation that year. This became the foundational pillar for “Ghosting Aloha,” which, in addition to lore from the school, explores themes of friendship, fear, love and more.

To get into the right head space when writing, the class also listened to songs spanning decades relevant to the book, particularly “Fast Car,” “A Boy Named Sue” and “Cats in the Cradle,” among others. Students also interviewed retired teacher Karen Muramoto and campus minister Sister Catherine Francis Miller.

“We decided to use multiple narrators and points of views so the storytelling itself within the novel would reflect our collaborative spirit, while also minimizing the effect of writing styles,” Sneed notes. “In the end, we managed to write a work that brought us joy and one we were happy with. Through this project, students learned far more than writing skills. They practiced empathy, collaboration, research, project management and civic-minded storytelling.”

He acknowledged at the book celebration that many hands helped create the final product, including Jane Gillespie of Mutual Publishing, illustrator Brady Evans and Keith Teramae, a local artist who served as a sponsor and mentor.

“We got lucky with a good mix of people; Keith, for example, talked with our students about turning their inspiration into perspiration, or what it would take to sustain the project long-term,” Sneed said. “I also think the students had a sense of connection to the history of the school, in which they are now a part of. It was an adventure and something spiritual happened in a way in the book that honored its three time frames: 1943, 1976, and 1982.”

The storyline follows Sacred Hearts 10th grader Lilikoʻi, along with her friends Ryley and Kenji, and her childhood crush, Max, whom she reconnects with just as his family is about to move off island. As Lilikoʻi starts to catch her breath after suffering heartbreak from the loss of her tūtū and the separation of her parents, ghosts appear and set her on a new journey of self-discovery,

The school’s president and CEO Brandy Sato told ASD that though the story is fiction, “it is something that a lot of students can relate to.”

“Living here, you know exactly what they’re talking about,” she adds. “For young adult literature to have that balance of honoring the students’ voices and their vernacular can be difficult. And they pulled it off.”

Students did not use artificial intelligence to write, according to Sneed.

“Ultimately, collaborative novel writing teaches young people to listen, imagine and create something meaningful through shared stories 

— a joyful and transformative practice they can carry into their lives far beyond school,” he said. “It is

a flexible, replicable model for creative collaborative learning in which teams of writers listen to one another explore meaningful stories and create works that none of them could have created alone.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Meet the writers"}]

Aureana Coloma says that participating in the summer writing workshop in 2025 as an incoming freshman at Sacred Hearts helped her “break the ice” and make new friends.

“When I joined the class, I was really shy and timid, but Mr. Sneed was welcoming and we got to talking about TV shows like ‘Cobra Kai’ and other things that helped me open up,” she told ASD.

As a writer, she learned how to make draft revisions and organize her thoughts more clearly, she notes.

When asked what advice she’d offer to other students interested in writing, Coloma adds: “Be yourself!”

Outside of school, she enjoys sports and watching Broadway musicals like “Hamilton” and more recently, “Heathers: The Musical.”

After high school, she hopes to go to college and enter the medical field.

Other students including Raychel Antolin, Ava Cramer and Grace Lai echoed similar sentiments about how working together on “Ghosting Aloha” was their favorite part of the experience.

“We’re proud of what it’s grown into,” Cramer said.

Amelia Akana, who joined the group a little later, is now a freshman at the University of Hawaiʻi pursuing her passion of screenwriting to become a film director.

Izzabelle Chloe Kaʻiulani Chang, Lilia Gushiken, Kailuana Oshiro, Isabella Porlas-Silva, Shuon Suzuki and Trinh Tran also contributed to the book.

“Ghosting Aloha” can be found in retail stores and online at 

Sacred Hearts Ghosting Aloha launch

<title>Meet the team behind new book set at Sacred Hearts Academy</title>

“Ghosting Aloha,” a newly released young adult coming-of-age novel written by a hui of teens explores themes of friendship, fear, love and lore from the school, which includes ghost stories set at the Kaimukī campus and surrounding neighborhoods on Oʻahu. Aloha State Daily recently attended a book celebration recognizing the young writers and adults who helped make this project possible.

Meet the team behind new book set at Sacred Hearts Academy

Real Estate

There's been a lot of activity in Ward Village in recent years, and its evolution continues to steadily progress.

and ‘Ilima Ward Village, a pair of residential towers planned for the former Ward Centre site.

Melia and ‘Ilima will bring a combined 369 homes and about 20,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial and retail space to Ward Village, Howard Hughes' 60-acre master-planned community located between Downtown Honolulu and Waikīkī. Meanwhile, landscaped pedestrian connections will link the IBM Building with Ka Lei Park, a recent announcement from Ward Village noted.

"It's been phenomenal," says Doug Johnstone, president, Hawai‘i Region and head of national development for Howard Hughes Communities, 

the real estate platform of Howard Hughes Holdings Inc., says of reaching the milestone. "We've obviously been working on that for a number of years behind the scenes, but the thing that's got us most excited is reaching a bit of a critical mass, particularly in the core of our neighborhood, where we brought Victoria Ward Park online, a number of new retailers and restaurants are starting to open up, and you're starting to see a real community and concentration of people and activity.

"Everybody has memories from Ward Centre over the years — it's had a great run — but I feel strongly that Melia, ‘Ilima and Ka Lei Park, also being flanked by the IBM building, it's going to represent a timeliness addition and an iconic improvement to what we're doing in Ward Village ... ."

Ward Centre, which opened in 1982 and served the community for more than four decades, 

 on June 30 to make way for the new towers. Its demolition is currently underway and is expected to be finished early next year, according to Johnstone.

The 33-story ‘Ilima will have 148 homes while Melia, its 35-story companion, will offer 221 residences. Howard Hughes Communities is partnering with Discovery Land Co. on the residential experience at the two buildings, the announcement notes.

According to the announcement, both Melia and ‘Ilima were designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with AHL serving as local executive architect and VITA Planning & Landscape Architecture leading the landscape design.

"The architecture draws inspiration from early 20th-century Honolulu landmarks, including the Honolulu Museum of Art, the 

 and the Dillingham Transportation Center," the announcement notes. "Shaded walkways, lanais, landscaped gardens and native plantings connect the design to Hawaiʻi’s climate and traditions of indoor-outdoor living."

As part of the Sept. 28 groundbreaking, $15,000 was donated each to the Hawai‘i Architectural Foundation and Purple Mai‘a Foundation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The story so far"}]

Ward Village sold out its first eight mixed-use residential towers: Waiea, Anaha, Ae‘o, Ke Kilohana, ‘A‘ali‘i, Kō‘ula, Victoria Place and Ulana Ward Village.

In addition to Melia and ‘Ilima, other new residential buildings in development or under construction include Kalae, which broke ground in 

, and The Launiu Ward Village, which broke ground 

[{"type":"text","text":"Other milestones in the last 18 months or so:"}]

Ward Village marked a record year in 2025, with momentum driven by the launch of Melia Ward Village and ‘Ilima Ward Village earlier that year.

In Hawai‘i last year, Howard Hughes contracted to sell 287 condos, which accounted for roughly $1.6 billion in future revenue, according to a fourth-quarter 

 from Howard Hughes Holdings published earlier this year. Of those pre-sales, 220 units were contracted at Melia and ‘Ilima.

Meanwhile, sales for Mahana Ward Village 

"That's been exciting to get off the ground and round out what we're calling the Park District," Johnstone says of Mahana. "That's where we're seeing a lot of the activation happening, with families playing at the playground, and shops and restaurants starting to come online. That'll be a bit of the commercial hub of the neighborhood."

When asked about a timeline for that project, Johnstone says that Ward Village is progressing Mahana's pre-sales currently and ultimately advancing toward the construction stage.

"[We'll] rely on pre-sale velocity and hopefully in the next year or so be able to get some traction on that," he says.

[{"type":"text","text":"Mahana is the last Ward Village tower that's been announced."}]

"We're always underway with future planning efforts and we have a number of remaining holdings that are commercial operating properties in the near-term," Johnstone explained. "We are always thinking about what's down the road, both within Ward Village but we've also had some interesting acquisition opportunities that we've been looking at a little more deeply and trying to see where else we can fit in in the O‘ahu landscape."

 was approved by the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority in 2009, "setting the groundwork for the development of this community," the Ward Village 

Johnstone says that when projects like Ward Village are initially considered, they're multi-decade efforts.

The reality, he says, is that it likely takes longer than most people think to "bring things forward." You need market conditions, institutional capital, a risk appetite and long-term vision.

Going back to the financial crisis, when a lot of this was initially contemplated, Johnstone says there was a "bit of a perception that it was going to be a lot all at once."

"It was a level of urbanization that Honolulu hadn't seen in recent years, so there was understandably some trepidation around that. I think the reality, as it plays out, is things move more incrementally," he told ASD. "They move with the market, they move with demand."

Johnstone says, too, that Ward Village has been intentional about preserving open space, setbacks, the streetscape and greenery, along with the "complementary aspects of what the retail and community building can be, along with the towers themselves and these pretty significant projects, so it becomes increasingly important to have a human scale to it."

"A lot of that effort has translated into being more palpable over time and less daunting, something that's becoming a lot more accepted and appreciated, particularly as everybody starts to have a friend or two that lives down here or a place they like to go visit," he says. "That's one of the more rewarding things over time. As we turn this next corner and bring more product online, and with it more plazas and exciting gathering spaces, that ultimately becomes our lasting imprint."

Johnstone, who born and raised in Honolulu, attended Punahou School and Stanford University. He joined the Ward Village team in 2012 and was named president of the Hawai‘i Region in 

 head of national development for Howard Hughes Communities.

You can check out the history of Ward Village 

Late last month, the developer broke ground on Melia Ward Village and ‘Ilima Ward Village, a pair of residential towers planned for the former Ward Centre site. Here's what else has been happening.

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October-November Voter Guide

National Voter Registration Day Tuesday, Sep. 15

Primary election coming Aug. 8