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Kualoa

Kualoa Community Outreach

We conducted a total of eight community gatherings between May 2014 and November 2015 to get community input on the plan. The community people interviewed and consulted included various members of the Hoe family, Kualoa Ranch, various canoe and voyaging related people, students from the Hakipuʻu Learning Center, Kūpuna from the area, and a general community outreach day during the 2015 Canoe Festival.


There was a lot of good input from community members and a significant amount of overlap in topics discussed. We have therefore organized the community’s thoughts into general bullet points by elements.

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Townscape talking story with community members in the field

General

  • Learning on the sacred grounds of our past kahuna filled with important mo‘olelo is the perfect place for participating in and learning from ma kai activities. We don’t just learn, we make memories and friends in this place; we increase our knowledge, build memories, and strengthen our hearts.
  • We need to consider the big picture in terms of cultural history – the park is significant within a much greater context of the surrounding ahupuaʻa
  • Link education and learning to stewardship of this sacred place; in programs and activities for learning include opportunities to contribute
  • Hakipuʻu Learning Center should have a presence/location in Hakipuʻu
  • Community needs to really get involved and have a presence at the park
  • Central place of importance for people of Kualoa, Hakipuʻu, Kaʻaʻawa etc.

Plan Elements

  • Mokoliʻi Island access should be controlled – too many people going there and bringing pets disturbing nesting grounds and introducing invasive species – fishing should also be monitored as some people take too much, or take when the species is too small, etc.
  • Interest in taking care of and restoring ʻApua Pond
  • More canoe presence desired – maybe a canoe hālau and an expansion of canoe related activities
  • Classrooms or covered outdoor classrooms would be great
  • Culture should be main focus of the plan – show it in a living way by doing it and living it, not just in a “touristy” way
  • Right now there is nothing in the park to tell people about its cultural or historical significance – need for signage and education/outreach for all visitors
  • Recognize voyaging traditions of the area: gatherings of double-hulled canoes from throughout the Pacific, continued celebration of Hokule‘a voyages and expanded fleet of traditionally inspired canoe in Hawai‘i, and as the World Wide Voyage comes back to Hawai‘i, plan for special return welcome for Hōkūleʻa
  • Propose allowing selected concessions – food, crafts, programs, etc. – to help programs become sustainable
  • Consider making like Hanauma Bay – controlled access with entrance fee and education requirement
  • Education should be main emphasis- for people of all ages- outdoor teaching lab
  • Culture/Interpretive Center with artifact showcase desired
  • Would like to see a hula hālau presence at the park
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HLC students take their canoe to Mokoliʻi Island to learn about restoration.
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Uncle Cal reaching out to local youth at the 2015 Canoe Festival

Plan Implementation

  • Who is going to pay for implementation?
  • Who is going to do these things?
  • We need to find a sustainable funding method and means to establish public-private partnerships
  • Someone should be hired to oversee implementation- maybe a position can be funded?

Wastewater Treatment Plant

  • WWTP too close to ʻApua Pond
  • DPR should consider continuing to pump sewage instead of centrally treating it
  • DPR should consider alternate location – too sacred – too visible
  • Concerns about WWTP opening the area up for further development
  • City should have more open dialogue with community about issues like WWTP
  • Lack of understanding for why this WWTP is needed and what the due diligence process is
Outreach1
ʻApua Pond near site of proposed Wastewater Treatment Plant
Outreach2
Lack of access control and enforcement of park rules (e.g. “no dogs”) at Mokoliʻi Island
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The annual Canoe Festival should be expanded to become a major event for all things related to canoes and voyaging traditions. As the birthplace of Hōkūleʻa, this area should become a major hub for canoe activities.