Lack of water, not fish head, caused coconut tree’s demise

Question: A fish head was attached to a coconut tree in a grove on the Waianae Coast between Nanakuli and Maili, I am assuming as some kind of trophy. Slowly the tree began to die, perhaps because salt water got into its system. This happened in a scenic area that has a coconut tree grove of 29 trees — make that 28 trees now. These trees are really nice. I am hoping the dead tree will be replaced. Hopefully the person in charge of this area will be made aware of this situation and take care of the trees.

Answer: We passed your concern on to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, which thanked you for alerting the city to this problem and for caring about this grove of palms in Ulehawa Beach Park, which is along Farrington Highway. Jon Hennington, a public information officer for the department, provided this update: “The Division of Urban Forestry (DUF) visited the site and inspected all of the trees in the grove. The failure of the one tree appears to not have been caused by salt water or the attachment of the fish head, but by a loss of irrigation. The sandy soil surrounding the other trees in the grove is well watered. The lost tree was dry. The Leeward Oahu District is investigating to see what caused the tree to lose irrigation. At this time, there are no plans to replace the lost coconut, however, we are taking steps to make sure that the remaining trees remain healthy.”

Q: Do you know exactly when the Waioli Tea Room will be reopening?

A: No. The Salvation Army, which has owned the Manoa eatery since 1922, hopes to see it reopen this fall, but no precise date has been set. The restaurant closed in December.

Q: How old was that huge marlin that was caught off the Big Island on July 28?

A: We emailed news reports of the catch, including photographs and video of the fish, to a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, Pacific Islands Region. Experts there agreed that the marlin was at least 26 years old and perhaps as old as 30, “but there is not enough information to know exactly,” said Wende Goo, the spokeswoman. The estimate was based on the length of the fish and other characteristics. It was 14-1/2 feet long, 84 inches around and weighed 1,368 pounds, according to the news reports.

Mahalo

Our family would like to acknowledge and thank the Mililani Mauka and Wahiawa Honolulu Fire Departments, Companies Engine 16 and Engine 41, Rescue 2, Battalion 5, and Air 1. Because of their dedicated service and their wonderful rescue efforts and diligence, my son Justin Clark was found after being lost for nearly five days in the Schofield-Waikane Trail area. We are also grateful to Justin’s hiking friends and the community members and volunteers who helped, many of whom we did not know personally. Also, we would like to thank the Maui Search and Rescue Volunteer Team who flew over with their canine search units, ready to assist if needed. The people of Hawaii are truly no kai oi! Mahalo to all! – Shirley Seeger

Mahalo

Mahalo and aloha to all who assisted me as I lay on the pavement at the intersection of McCully and Beretania streets after I was struck in the crosswalk by a vehicle around 4:15 p.m. June 25. So many people helped: keeping traffic away, calling 911, putting down cones, holding my hand, telling me not to move, bringing me my glasses, bag and cap that were scattered by the impact, getting out of their cars to offer help. I believe you saved my life. Mahalo nui loa. — Anonymous

Mahalo

A big mahalo to the Honolulu International Airport Transportation Security Administration Lost and Found supervisor and staff, including Gorman and David, for safely holding and returning my lost cellphone during a recent trip. We hear a lot when there are complaints, but these gentlemen were so professional, prompt and courteous in helping track things down from afar. Thank you so much for your responsiveness and diligent work. — Grateful local traveler

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.