Ka Ulu Hoi

ʻAuhea ʻoukou e nā makamaka o ka ʻāina a me ke kai, eia mai kekahi manaʻo no ka ʻāina kapu o Waiʻanae, no ka mauna kiʻekiʻe loa o Oʻahu nei, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Kaʻala. Aloha aʻe kākou i ka mokupuni ʻo Oʻahu. Ke loku nei ka ʻUlalena. Ua hiki maila kekahi manaʻo mai loko mai o nā kānaka waiwai e hoʻomau i nā hana maʻewa. He leo kūʻē kēia i ke kūkulu ʻana i ia mea he kaʻa kau lewa e holo ana mai Waialua a i ka nuʻu o ia mauna hanohano ʻo Kaʻala. Ua ʻōlelo ʻia he mea ia e hāpai ai i ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi i ka nuʻu o Kaʻala, a e ʻumeʻume mai i ke kālā i ka mokupuni. Eia naʻe, ke ʻike ʻia aku ka hopena, ua maopopo iā kākou, e nā hoa e noho nei i ʻaneʻi, he mea ʻino kēia no ke kaiāulu liʻiliʻi o Waialua, no ka nohona o ka mokupuni, a no ka mālama ʻana i kēia ʻāina nani. 

E noi aku ana kēia mau manu kōlea i ka Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) e ʻāpono i ke kūkulu ʻana i luna o ka ʻāina e kapa ʻia nei ʻo Kaukonahua Ranch. ʻO Kamanui Agribusiness ka hui ʻo ka hoʻolālā ʻana. Wahi a lākou, ʻo Kamananui ka inoa o kēia papahana, a he agribusiness kēia kaʻa kau lewa. ʻO Mark “Skip” Taylor ka haku nui o ua papahana nei. Makemake ʻo ia e ʻume i nā malihini i Waialua a i kona māhele ʻāina, akā inā hōʻea makawalu nā malihini mākaʻikaʻi i kēia kaiāulu ʻuʻuku,ʻo ka hōʻea maila nō ia o nā pilikia nui.

ʻO Waialua, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i like me Waikīkī. ʻAʻole i kūkulu ʻia ʻo Waialua no ka mālama ʻana i ka nui o nā malihini. Makaʻu nā ʻohana o Waialua i nā pilikia e hōʻea mai ana ma muli o ke kūkulu ʻana i kēia kaʻa kau lewa. ʻOiai, ʻaʻole kēia ʻo ka mea hoʻokahi e kūkulu ʻia. Ma hea ana e kū kaʻa ai nā malihini? I loko paha o kekahi hale kū kaʻa nui i luna o kēia ʻāina ʻihi. I hea ana lākou ma hope o ka holo ʻana i ke kaʻa kau lewa? I ʻō i ʻaneʻi paha o ia ʻāina kuaʻāina nō. I laʻana, e nānā i ka laina kaʻa ma waho o ka hono ʻo Hanauma ma Maunalua, ʻaʻole nō i kana mai! Ke hoʻolaha ʻia kēia mau wahi kaulana ma luna o ka pūnaewele, he nui ka hōʻea ʻana o ka lehulehu malihini. ʻAʻole lawa nā alanui liʻiliʻi o Waialua no kēia ʻano lehulehu. ʻIke paha ʻia kēia mau pilikia e nā kānaka ʻālunu, akā me he mea lā ʻaʻole lākou ʻike i ka pilikia o ke kūkulu ʻana i ke kaʻa kau lewa i loko o Waialua. He mau kēkake makapō nā luna o kēia papahana loko ʻino. Kō ke au iā Halaʻea. E hoʻomanaʻo kākou i ka ʻālunu o ke aliʻi ʻo Halaʻea. ʻO ia nō ka mea i make ai ʻo ia. ʻO ia ana paha ka mea e hoʻopūhili ʻia ai nei papahana.

ʻAʻole kēia ʻo ka pilikia hoʻokahi o ke kūkulu ʻana i kēia puʻu kimeki. He wahi kapu ʻo Kaʻala, a he wao akua nō hoʻi. He lāʻau kū hoʻokahi, he lehua no Kaʻala. Na wai e ʻole ka nani o nā kahawai e kahe iho mai nei, nā mea kanu Hawaiʻi e kū nei, a me nā manu e hoʻopūnana nei i luna a i lalo. He waiwai maoli nō kēia wahi no nā kūpuna a no kākou hoʻi i kēia au. Ua aʻo nā kūpuna i ka manaʻo nui: inā mālama ke kanaka i ka ʻāina, e ola mau ke kanaka. ʻAʻole wale nō kēia he real estate property. He ola nō ia no ka poʻe e pili i ka ʻāina o Kaʻala.

ʻAʻole kēia kaʻa kau lewa he ʻenehana maikaʻi no ke au hou o Hawaiʻi. He ālaina ia no ka ʻāina a me ka lāhui. Inā ʻāpono kākou i kēia puʻu ʻōpala, i hea ana kākou? Aia ka pono ʻo ke kaupalena ʻana i ke kūkulu ʻana a me ka hoʻonui ʻana i ke kūlanakauhale. E mālama nō i ka nohona kuaʻāina a me ka nohona Hawaiʻi.

© Tucker Larue 2025