Images of Old Hawaiʻi

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Henry Opukahaʻia’s Influence on Missionaries Coming to Hawaiʻi

The history and growth of Christianity in Hawaiʻi include Henry Opukahaʻia, a native Hawaiian from the Island of Hawaiʻi.
In 1809, at the age of 16, after his parents had been killed, he boarded a sailing ship anchored in Kealakekua Bay and sailed to the continent.
On board, he developed a friendship with a Christian sailor who, using the Bible, began teaching Opukahaʻia how to read and write.
Once landed, he traveled throughout New England and continued to learn and study.
Opukahaʻia’s life in New England was greatly influenced by many young men with proven sincerity and religious fervor that were active in the Second Great Awakening and the establishment of the missionary movement.
These men had a major impact on Opukahaʻia’s enlightenment in Christianity and his vision to return to Hawaiʻi as a Christian missionary.
By 1817, a dozen students, six of them Hawaiians, were training at the Foreign Mission School to become missionaries to teach the Christian faith to people around the world.
He improved his English by writing the story of his life in a book called “Memoirs of Henry Obookiah” (the spelling of his name prior to establishment of the formal Hawaiian alphabet, based on its sound.)
Opukahaʻia died suddenly of typhus fever in 1818.  The book about his life was printed and circulated after his death.
Opukahaʻia’s book inspired 14 missionaries to volunteer to carry his message to the Sandwich Islands. 
On October 23, 1819, a group of missionaries from the northeast United States, set sail on the Thaddeus for the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawai‘i.)
There were seven couples sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity.
These included two Ordained Preachers, Hiram Bingham and his wife Sybil and Asa Thurston and his wife Lucy; two Teachers, Mr. Samuel Whitney and his wife Mercy and Samuel Ruggles and his wife Mary; a Doctor, Thomas Holman and his wife Lucia; a Printer, Elisha Loomis and his wife Maria; a Farmer, Daniel Chamberlain, his wife and five children.
Along with them were four Hawaiian youths who had been students at the Foreign Mission School, Thomas Hopu, William Kanui, John Honoliʻi and Prince Humehume (son of Kauaiʻi’s King Kaumuali‘i and also known as Prince George Kaumuali‘i.)
After 164 days at sea, on April 4, 1820 (192-years ago, today,) the Thaddeus first arrived and anchored at Kailua-Kona on the Island of Hawaiʻi.
Hawai‘i’s “Plymouth Rock” is about where the Kailua pier is today.
The Thurstons remained in Kailua-Kona, while their fellow missionaries went to establish stations on other Hawaiian islands.
Hiram Bingham, the leader of the group, went to Honolulu to set up a mission headquarters; Whitney and Ruggles accompanied Prince Kaumuali‘i on his return to Kaua‘i.  (Hiram is my great-great-great grandfather.)
By the time the missionaries arrived, Kamehameha I had died, Liholiho (his son) was king and the kapu system had been abolished.
I have added a folder of like name in the Photos section of my Facebook page of images from Hiram Bingham’s book, “A Residence of Twenty-one Years in the Sandwich Islands” and other related images.  Several of the illustrations show missionary work across the islands.

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Students Helping Students

When I was a student at Hawaii Preparatory Academy, we had a cooperative program with schools in the town where HPA students were regularly tutoring Waimea Elementary/ Intermediate School students in Math.
I participated in that program; I was helping an algebra student at Waimea Intermediate.
It dawned on me one day that we had students in need at HPA; why weren’t we also helping them?
I approached the administration about this and in their typical fashion they said, great idea, go implement it.
They weren’t being lazy in that response; it was typical, because they encouraged students to think of new ideas and then gave us the freedom to put those ideas to work.
My plan was to partner students successful in Math with students who were having problems, using grades as the basic guideline.
To keep the focus on education, the pairs would use empty classrooms for the tutoring (rather than in the dorm rooms.)
There were lots of volunteers (another lesson taught to us at HPA.)
The school trusted me enough to give me full access to all student records.
That, in itself, is amazing, when you think about it.
I think back on this often; it’s one of my proudest moments.
I am humbled by the extreme level of trust and confidence the school administration placed in me (a high school senior) in fulfilling my commitment to keep all records confidential – to this day, I have honored that responsibility.
Unfortunately, in today’s world of distrust and fear, I don’t see this kind of thing happening for anyone else.
I went through each student’s report card and interim grades and, based on their grades, identified the prospective tutors and tutees.  I also had the student and classroom use schedules.
I contacted each prospect (tutor and tutee) to check their willingness to participate (no one was forced into the program.)
Compatible student volunteers were then matched with students in need and the team was fit in an empty classroom when each had an open period in his schedule.  (Yes, there were also lots of logistical issues in setting this program up.)
I picked the student who was having the hardest time in Math.
The program worked – students were helping students, and those having challenges in Math had the added benefit of getting insights from his peer.

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Liquids Coordinator

The Ironman Triathlon World Championship is the initial and ultimate Swim – Bike – Run event.
This type of race (tri-sport) was stated in Hawai‘i and was essentially created for bragging rights by combining the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, 112-miles of the Around-Oahu Bike Race, followed by the 26.2-mile run of the Honolulu Marathon.
It started on O‘ahu, but its home is now in West Hawai‘i on the Big Island.
For 13-years, I was its Director of Aid Stations (1990-2002.)  We had about 4,000 volunteers and over 30 bike and run aid stations for the 1,200 contestants.  We also had a cadre of coordinators to help oversee the operations.
Each year, I made a point of trying to add another coordinator to my list.  It was more of a challenge and game to think up new ideas for “coordinators.”
This was not only to help spread out the work load, but, more importantly, it was a way to get some of the race swag to more people (coordinators received a special race shirt, had full access to all areas of the race and were invited to special parties.)
Speaking of parties, in the early years it was like pulling teeth to get coordinators to a race planning meeting.
Then, I finally got it.
I started to have wine tasting as a part of the planning meeting.  Not only did everyone show up (early,) they all asked when the next party, errr … meeting was.
This led to my attempt to get a wine person listed as a coordinator for the race (adding coordinators was a big deal to the race (given cost, etc,) so nothing was taken for granted.)
After extensive explanation of the importance of proper hydration in the race, etc, etc, etc, ultimately, the race director agreed to add a “Liquids Coordinator” to the Aid Stations roster.
However, little did they know that these “liquids” were meant for us, not the contestants.  We had a perfect person for the job, Jack Squires, who lives in Napa Valley and managed a cork company. 
However, in offering Jack the job, little did he know I had devised an elaborate practical joke for his initiation.
I worked with the race Medical Director, Bob Laird, on “including” Jack into a series of medical meetings Bob has with his medical crew prior to the race.  They had some seminars dealing with medical concerns related to hydration, etc. 
Bob agreed to sign a letter I wrote inviting Jack to the seminars – we also included reams of medical reports and other paperwork for Jack to review prior to the meetings.
Little did Jack know that I arranged all this with Bob.
Jack diligently reviewed the paperwork prior to getting to Kona.  I recall several phone conversations with Jack after the invitation, where he questioned whether he wanted to participate, or not.
When Jack arrived, we let him in on the joke and told him there were no seminars to attend and he really had only two rules to follow in the Aid Stations Operating Manual, (1) make sure there is plenty of wine for the Aid Stations Coordinators and (2) never forget rule #1.
Of course, we snuck in our own wine into various race parties (some were “alcohol-free.”)  Carbo-loading party is Thursday night of race week – it also was the beginning of our major Aid Stations party.
We’d pre-party at Carbo; then, leave early to go to the Liquids Coordinator’s Party.  Jack did waaay good with those – lots of Napa’s finest.
As a payback to the early prank I played on Jack, over the years those parties also turned into a series of gag-gifts giving to me.
I have to admit, I was particularly fond of the blow-up doll and shark hat given to me at those parties (I still have the hat, but ditched the doll.)
I had a call from Jack a few weeks ago.  He is now vacationing on Moloka‘i.  He returns home today and I will be meeting him at the Honolulu Airport, during a long layover on his return flight.

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Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway – Preservation Commendation

I am honored and proud to share with you some great news we just received concerning a project we are working on.
Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway will be recognized with a Preservation Commendation from Historic Hawai‘i Foundation at its 2012 Preservation Honor Awards ceremony for outstanding efforts in preservation through planning and designation of the Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway.
This award is being given to Kōloa Community Association, Mālama Koloa, Po‘ipū Beach Resort Association, HDOT Hawai’i Scenic Byways Program and Ho‘okuleana LLC.
Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway, recently designated a State Scenic Byway, is situated in the historic
Old Kōloa Town and runs down and through the Po’ipu Beach resort area on Kaua‘i’s South Shore.
This region is steeped in history and its various points of interest tell the stories of Hawaii’s people and its evolving socio-economic past.
Along this corridor are significant historic, archaeological, cultural, natural, recreational and scenic resources.
Holo Holo Kōloa gives the traveler a look at the historic and socio-economic evolution of the Hawaiian Islands.
Here many “firsts” took place that ultimately guided this transformation.  This is a corridor with many stories to tell, under the backdrop of its impressive scenic and natural beauty.
We have been assisting Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway in the State designation process, as well as preparing the Corridor Management Plan for the Scenic Byway.
This is our second Scenic Byway project.  We also prepared the Corridor Management Plan for the Royal Footsteps Along The Kona Coast.
Royal Footsteps also received a Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Preservation Commendation, as well as an APA-Hawai‘i Environment-Preservation Award and a Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Pualu Award for Culture & Heritage.

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Currency Stamped with “HAWAII” during WWII

Like most people of his generation, my father saved stuff, especially “special” stamps, currency and coins – below is a $10 bill of his that he gave to me.
According to the Federal Reserve, with the start of World War II, the US started printing specialized military currency to provide economic stability for the US dollar in occupied countries.
In Hawaiʻi, the Treasury Department replaced all US currency with special issue notes as a precautionary measure in the event of a Japanese victory.
These notes were circulated only in Hawai‘i and their brown seals and serial numbers differentiated them from notes issued on the mainland.
Overprints of the word HAWAII were made; two small overprints to the sides of the obverse of the bill between the border and both the treasury seal and Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco seal, and huge outlined HAWAII lettering dominating the reverse.
The hope was that, should there have been a Japanese invasion, the US Government could immediately declare any Hawai‘i-stamped notes worthless, due to their easy identification.
$1, $5, $10 and $20 San Francisco Reserve notes featured the seal and serial numbers that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing called the “Hawaiʻi Overprint” (from July 1942 until October 1944.)
Hawai‘i wasn’t the only place where special currency was distributed.  Similarly, special notes were issued for use by American troops during the invasion of North Africa in November 1942.
These notes were overprinted with distinctive yellow Treasury Seals to distinguish them from the regular Silver Certificates overprinted with blue seals.
Like the overprinted Hawai‘i notes, these distinctive certificates could be declared worthless if large amounts fell into enemy hands.
In addition to the Hawai‘i currency issued, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced or oversaw the private production of Allied military currency used in Italy, France, Austria, Germany and Japan during and after the war.
The Department of the Treasury redeems all genuine United States currency at face value only, and does not render opinions concerning the numismatic value of old or rare currencies.
However, numerous websites indicate premiums are being paid for these special bills.  (I am keeping mine as a reminder of my father.)