Question: Regarding vandalism at Kaniakapupu Ruins (808ne.ws/328sty), has DLNR considered opening up this site to controlled, managed visitation? Would that even be possible to consider? Having responsible people there (visitors and managers) might do more to protect the site than barriers that fail to keep vandals out. Social media is never going to stop listing this, and even with it closed off, the vandals can still get there and know they are not likely to be caught.
Answer: The Department of Land and Natural Resources is not considering the kind of broad access you’re suggesting. However, there is a group that holds a DLNR permit to steward the area, and it welcomes volunteers to help clear encroaching vegetation from the crumbling remains of King Kamehameha III’s summer palace.
The group, Aha Hui Malama o Kaniakapupu, usually holds service days the first Sunday of each month, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but can often accommodate requests for other dates if given enough notice, said Baron Ching, one of its leaders. If you’d like to volunteer, email him at bchingkahoola@gmail.com for more information.
“We will work with all who approach with respect and an open mind to malama this wahi pana” (sacred place), he said in an email. “There has been discussion about how to protect the area. The best solution would be to station a docent or ranger there and to repair or further stabilize the structure. Unfortunately that requires a good deal of funding which nobody seems to have nowadays. One can always hope.”
Kaniakapupu, located in a restricted Nuuanu forest area, is the second most important Native Hawaiian structure on Oahu, after Iolani Palace, according to the DLNR. Built in the 1840s as an upland retreat for King Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama, not much is known about its use after 1847, when it was the site of a huge luau celebrating Restoration Day.
Although officially closed to the public, the ruins are not inaccessible, and the rise of social media has directed countless trespassers there. When vandals struck in 2016 — carving crosses into one of the remaining rock walls — the DLNR asked tourism websites, travel bloggers and others to stop promoting directions to the irreplaceable cultural site. After this recent incident — around Valentine’s Day, vandals carved a heart shape — the DLNR began erecting barriers of logs and plants around the ruins’ perimeter and posting signs explaining why the site is closed and how important it is for people to stay off the rock walls and rock piles.
Ryan Peralta, a DLNR forest management supervisor, said people interested in visiting Kaniakapupu should contact Aha Hui Malama o Kaniakapupu, which is made up of Native Hawaiians knowledgeable about its history and cultural significance and committed to the hard work of preserving it. The group’s permit “allows them to access the restricted area and keep the vegetation from negatively impacting the site,” he said.
“Often times, we have directed inquiries to contact the group to visit the site. Visitors would go with the group, learn about the site and also volunteer their time to maintain the site,” he said. “However, parking at the site is very limited so we have to be careful about how many people can visit the site on any given day.”
Auwe
Shame on the hunters who left an emaciated, terrified white dog on Hui Kelu Street on Wednesday and drove off. The dog is living in the woods, and can be seen at the head of a hiking trail. It’s too frightened to let people near it. … If you don’t want an animal, take it to a shelter instead of condemning it to a slow death. — A reader
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