The first stop for the Hokule‘a in 2018 on its “Mahalo, Hawaii” tour is scheduled for this week at Ko Olina.
Weather permitting, the voyaging canoe will be docked at Ko Olina Marina from Wednesday through Jan. 10 and will return for a second visit Jan. 21-Feb. 3, according to the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
The general public and school groups are invited to the marina to tour the canoe and meet crew members following the canoe’s successful “Malama Honua” worldwide voyage.
“We want to give all of Hawaiʻi’s children and communities an opportunity to step on the deck of Hokuleʻa and be a part of our voyages,” said Nainoa Thompson, president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, in a statement. “This stop at Ko Olina will allow thousands of students, residents and visitors to visit the canoe and crew, learn about voyaging, and bring light to the community of Ko Olina and West Oʻahu to elevate the work being done to perpetuate culture, environment and education through multiple pathways.”
The canoe will arrive at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Ko Olina Marina.
From 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, there will be a talk story session with some of the Hokule‘a’s female crew members, billed as the “Real Moanas,” referring to the 2016 Disney movie. This will be at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa.
Canoe tours will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 9 at Ko Olina Marina, with validated parking available. On Jan. 10 the Hokule‘a will return to Sand Island.
The schedule for the later visit has not been set. For more information and updates, go to www.hokulea.com or koolina.com/events.
MAUI
Kula man riding motorcycle dies after crash
A 52-year-old Kula man died Saturday about a week after a motorcycle crash on Maui.
Honolulu police said the man was transported to an Oahu hospital for treatment of his injuries sustained in a Dec. 24 crash. He died at about 4:35 p.m. Saturday.
Maui police said the crash involved a motorcycle and a 2005 Honda multipurpose vehicle on Lower Kula Road.
The driver of the Honda was making a left turn onto Pulehuiki Road when he struck the motorcycle rider, who was coming from the opposite direction.
A 52-year-old Kula man who was driving the Honda sustained minor injuries and was released at the scene, police said.
The motorcycle rider was taken in critical condition to Maui Memorial Medical Center.
House fire burns man, causes $150K damage
An 83-year-old man was burned Saturday while being rescued by neighbors from a house fire that caused more than $150,000 in damage, Maui firefighters said.
The fire started at about 10:10 p.m. at a home on Hale Malia Place in Napili, said Maui Fire Department spokesman Edward Taomoto.
An occupant discovered the fire and alerted four other family members in the home. Neighbors helped carry the disabled man from the home, but he sustained moderate burns to his body while he was being carried out.
He was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in stable condition. No one else was hurt.
Taomoto said firefighters arrived to find a detached garage in front of the home engulfed in flames.
Crews brought the fire under control by 10:24 p.m. and extinguished it at about midnight.
Damage to the 500-square-foot garage and main house was estimated at $160,000, including $30,000 in damage to the contents.
The cause could not be determined.
