Lehua Alapa`i can trace her family’s history on the land just south of Waikoloa Beach Resort back almost 2,000 years. “Pretty much from 900 AD on, 18-plus generations lived there,” she says. “My aunties have it all written down and it goes back very far in genealogies.” In September of this year, Waikoloa Land Company returned the 27.3-acre parcel known as `Anaeho`omalu Kapalaoa to its lineal descendants, including Alapa`i and her family. The property will be owned and stewarded by the Native Hawaiian-led nonprofit, Nã `Oiwi O Pu`uanahulu, whose mission is to steward and protect the land.
In addition to marking the boundary where North Kona and South Kohala meet, the land was the home of an ancient village of Native Hawaiians. It is graced with Keahualono and Hi`iaka heiau (places of worship), wai `ōpae (anchialine ponds), petroglyph fields and ancient trail networks that still exist today. As recently as the 1930s, residents in the small, coastal village continued these traditions and used the shoreline for net fishing and salt making. Following statehood in 1959, government leaders set about designating zones and creating infrastructure for resort development along the coast that began in the 1960s and continued through the 1980s.
Until earlier this year, ‘Anaeho‘omalu Kapalaoa was the last piece of undeveloped beachfront property within Waikoloa Beach Resort, located just south of Lava Lava Beach Club. The effort to return the land to its ancestral inhabitants was initiated by Waikoloa Land Company, who approached Trust for Public Land. “‘Anaeho`omalu Kapalaoa will serve as a lasting legacy for our organizations and family, embodying our deep-rooted commitment to the stewardship of Hawai`i’s precious cultural and environmental attributes. For us, this effort represents a step towards giving back to the land that has nurtured us so much. Hawai`i holds a special place in our hearts, and the preservation of this land is a way for us to express our gratitude,” says Cary Boeddeker Egan, President of The Waikoloa Foundation, representative of Waikoloa Land & Cattle Co. and the Boeddeker family “Cary wanted us to have this, to return this,” Alapai says. “When she showed up it was unbelievable. There’s so much healing that needs to be done.
This is not about land ownership; this is about returning the people who have lived there for generations and know the land, to take care of the land and waters.” Nã `Oiwi O Pu`uanahulu and supporters in Kona and Kohala raised $3 million from the State Legacy Land Conservation Commission. An additional $4.4 million came from the County of Hawai`i’s Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund. The County of Hawai`i holds a conservation easement over the property, protecting it in perpetuity. “Kapalaoa’s return was intended to unite and heal and melt division,” Alapa`i says. “This was an ohana effort through the many, many generations of kūpuna. There are so many good people who have been a part of returning the land to us.”
Future Plans
Nã `Oiwi O Pu`uanahulu is working on a management plan now with a long-term vision for the space. “It will take a year or two,” Alapa`i says. “Our top priority is preservation and protection. It’s important for our people to be able to return and steward the land once more. They’re coming back to a place they’ve been disconnected from. We’ll serve as a symbol of how the larger community can come together and nurture all relationships — everyone’s relation to land and to each other, no matter where you come from.” `Anaeho`omalu Kapalaoa’s former owner couldn’t agree more. “I have had the privilege of working closely with many of the Nã `Oiwi O Pu`uanahulu board members, and I can confidently attest to their dedication, expertise and passion for preserving this land,” says Boeddeker Egan. Boeddeker Egan’s father, Ron Boeddeker, who founded Transcontinental Corporation and Waikoloa Land Company, purchased the `Anaeho`omalu Kapalaoa parcel in the 1987, after acquiring the original 31,000 acres of land from Boise Cascade in 1978. Portions of that property included Waikoloa Village and Waikoloa Beach Resort. “The stewardship of this land aligns with the goals of our family and honors my father’s legacy. He called it ‘voluntarily conservation,’” Boeddeker Egan explains. “We hope that this sets an example for other resorts and landholders in Hawai`i of how to properly steward and preserve the `āina.”
Oodles of Noodles
Ramen has been a food staple in Japan since post-World War II. The authentic noodle dish gained a foothold in Hawai`i’s food scene in the 1970s, when the first ramen restaurants opened in Honolulu. Ramen has been popular throughout the islands ever since. If you’re craving a savory bowl of noodles, head over to Da Ramen Kind in the Queens’ Marketplace food court. There, owner/chef Wesley Wu whips up a variety of ramen and udon noodle dishes, as well as fried rice favorites in the quick, casual spot. Wu uses authentic broths (think shoyu, miso, kimchi, tonkatsu, black garlic or tan tan) as the base for his noodle dishes, matched with shrimp, beef, pork, oxtail, tofu or vegetables. His side dishes are equally tempting with everything from Japanese fried chicken (fresh chicken marinated overnight and coated with cornstarch) to fried octopus, pan grilled or deep fried gyoza (Japanese dumplings), shrimp tempura and yayoaki (the ball- shaped Japanese street food filled with octopus). For dessert, ube ice cream and ube tempura ice cream can satisfy the sweet tooth.
Da Ramen Kind is open 10 am to 9 pm daily. Pick up orders can be made online at www.toasttab.com/local/order/daramenkind
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