Question: Is there a way to find a map or list of all the beach access sites on Oahu or at least the North Shore? I was going to check out a fishing site I had been to a couple of years ago and found that the path I used before was blocked and had a sign that basically said that it was private property and not to trespass. This path is in between two homes with fences on each side, so I found it hard to believe that it was not a public beach access point, especially since there weren’t any access points due to all the homes on this street.

Answer: It took a while, and checking with different city departments, but we finally tracked down a list.

The city Department of Parks and Recreation told us this week it would post the list of public beach rights of way on its website: www1.honolulu.gov/parks. At last check Thursday, it had not yet been posted.

The list names 87 sites where “emergency response” signs were posted to help callers direct emergency responders to people in distress. The sites happen to be the city’s beach rights of way.

While the Parks Department was responsible for installing and maintaining the signs, it was the city Department of Emergency Services’ Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division that spearheaded the sign project. The city Department of Planning and Permitting helped establish the locations.

Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is finalizing a map and list of public shoreline accesses on Oahu for fishermen, as a collaborative effort involving federal, state and county agencies.

An announcement will be made when it is completed.

“The map and listing have been worked on for several years, and is just about to be completed,” said Lori Kahikina, director of the city Department of Design and Construction. “This map and list supersedes a similar database that was published for public use several decades ago” by the Department of Planning and Permitting.

A member of Kahikina’s staff completed his review of the database and map for accuracy a few weeks ago.

Question: What is the correct way to pronounce “Konawaena”? I keep hearing people pronounce it “Koh-nah-why-nah,” as if it was spelled with an “i.” I thought the correct pronunciation is “Koh-nah-wah-eh-nah.” TV sportscasters, even those with Hawaiian blood, seem to be mispronouncing it.

Answer: Actually, according to Hawaiian language professor Puakea Nogelmeier, you do pronounce it “Koh-nah-why-nah,” with emphasis on the first and especially third syllables.

Nogelmeier, who teaches at the University of Hawaii Manoa, is also the “voice of TheBus,” announcing the stops along the city’s bus routes and making sure that Hawaiian names are pronounced correctly. (See is.gd/kokualine12052009.)

“The ‘ae’ in ‘waena’ actually become a single syllable — a diphthong — so you should hear both vowels, but the stress is on the ‘a’ or ‘wa’ of ‘waena,’” he explained. “The ‘wae’ of ‘waena’ does sound rather like ‘why’ with a broader ending than the ‘why’ sound of ‘whine.’”

Nogelmeier said that if it weren’t for the diphthong mechanism of Hawaiian language, it would be a five-syllable word, and the emphasis would be on the “e” of “ena.”

“But the diphthong, which happens with ‘ai,’ ‘ae,’ ‘ao,’ and ‘au’ and such, affects the syllable count and the emphasis,” he said.

MAHALO

To a kind stranger. It was a Saturday night, and my wife and I decided to have a late evening meal at a local restaurant in Makiki. She sat at the table while I went to the counter to buy dinner. Upon returning to our table, I saw my wife’s face was white, like she saw a ghost. The man saw my wife sitting alone and gave her $40 for no reason. That act brought her tears of joy. May that person be blessed!

— Kyle