Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Coconut Grove

Kailua Ahupua‘a is the largest on the windward side of O‘ahu, and the largest ahupua‘a of the Koʻolaupoko District. From the Koʻolau ridge line it extends down two descending ridge lines which provide the natural boundaries for the sides of the ahupua‘a.

The natural environment includes the sand accretion barrier upon which Kailua Town stands, the mountainous upland terrain and alluvial valley of Maunawili, the largest fresh water marsh in Hawai‘i (Kawainui Marsh), another inland pond (Kaʻelepulu) and intermittent streams. (Cultural Surveys)

When the first Polynesians landed and settled in Hawaiʻi (about 900 to 1000 AD (Kirch)) they brought with them shoots, roots, cuttings and seeds of various plants for food, cordage, medicine, fabric, containers, all of life’s vital needs.

“Canoe crops” (Canoe Plants) is a term to describe the group of plants brought to Hawaiʻi by these early Polynesians. One of these was ‘niu,’ the coconut; they used it for food, cordage, etc.

Later, others saw commercial opportunities from coconuts.

In 1906, Albert and Fred Waterhouse were walking over sand dunes along the approximately one-mile wide by two-and-a-half-mile long area between Kawainui Marsh and the ocean, when they envisioned the idea of planting coconut trees there.

“During the week papers will be filed with the Treasurer for the incorporation of the Hawaiian Copra Co, having lands under (a 29-year) lease from Mr Castle. …”

“(The land) is … two-hundred and fifty acres adapted to the cultivation of cocoanut trees, of which it has twenty thousand, half of which are nearly three feet high and the balance recently planted.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, May 12, 1907)

“Samples of copra (dried meat of coconut) grown here have been forwarded to San Francisco …. The quality of the product is excellent, comparing favorably with that of the best grade received in that market, and the price per pound is satisfactory. So well pleased are the people on the Coast that they have signified a willingness to take all that can be shipped to them.”

“The copra is compressed and the extracted oil used in the manufacture of soaps, and as oils in the manufacture of high-grade paints. Another use to which it is put is the manufacture of shredded cocoanut, which is utilized by confectioners and bakers. The fiber is made into hawsers (ropes) for towing purposes.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, May 12, 1907)

They “leveled the sand dunes and smoothed out the sand hillocks,” and planted approximately 320-acres with over 130,000-coconut trees.

Many rows of ironwood trees were also planted as a windbreak and a fence had to be built to keep cattle out. (Drigot)

“The (coconuts were) secured from Kauai …. We have sunk one well and found water at a depth of 51-feet. It is our intention to sink about 25-such wells for irrigation purposes.”

“Our trees will be of the Samoan variety and will bear when about seven years old. There is very little labor needed. Eight men will take care of the whole place, so we will have no labor problem to contend with.” (Maui News, September 17, 1907)

“One of the uses to which copra is put and for which there has not yet been found an available substitute is in the production of salt water soap, soap that will lather and be effective in salt water.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, September 15, 1907)

Things looked up.

“George A Moore & Co, commission merchants, of San Francisco, see no reason why Hawaiian copra should not compete more than favorably with other South Sea copra in the mainland market.… (He noted,) We beg to call to your attention the large consumption in this market of dried cocoanut, commercially known as copra, which reaches as high as fifteen thousand tons per annum.”

“Most of our importations are brought from the Pacific and South Sea Islands, but having recently seen a small parcel which issued from the Hawaiian Islands of very good quality it occurs to us and we see no reason why large quantities of this could not be brought from the American island possessions, notably the Hawaiian Islands.”

“For your information we would say that the ripe cocoanuts are cracked open and exposed to the sun, whereupon the meat shrinks from the shell and the dried meat itself constitutes the commodity above referred to, which is today realizing in our market 3 3/8 c US gold.”

“Cocoanut plantations in the Pacific Islands for the production of copra have now become quite an extensive and profitable venture, and we have no doubt it would prove so to your planters. ” (Peters; Pacific Commercial Advertiser, December 17, 1908)

It didn’t last. … In 1916, the copra/coconut oil enterprise failed.

The Waterhouses sold their “Coconut Grove” to AH Rice, who planned a residential subdivision in the area. In 1924, Earl H Williams, of Liberty Investment Co, acquired 200-acres from Rice and began the subdivision process (the Coconut Grove Tract.) (Drigot) At the end of World War II, Kailua began a real estate and development boom.

As the landscape became urbanized, flooding became a problem. There are reports of major flooding in this area in the years 1921 and 1940. In 1939, Congress instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a survey of the Marsh area and to assess its value as a flood control basin.

Kailua town as a whole suffered a severe flood in 1951 and 250-people were forced to evacuate their homes in the area. The Oneawa Channel (Kawainui Canal) was under construction in 1952 to prevent the major flooding of the Kailua residential area situated on the edge of the marsh. Subsequent severe floods occurred in 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1963.

Finally, the “permanent” stage of the Federal-State Kawainui Flood Control Project, first targeted for this area in the 1930s, was completed in 1966. This project entailed “dredging the debris and widening the Kawainui Canal, and building a 9-foot high levee to hold back storm water and widening the inner canal”.

However, from December 1968 through January 1969, as much as 8-inches of water covered a large area from Oneawa Street to Kihapai Street. The levee and Canal had eliminated direct overflow from the marsh, but flooding still occurred. (Drigot)

In 1988, floodwaters breached the levee. it was later modified by the Army Corps and City in 1997 raising its height and constructing a concrete floodwall to address the 100-year flood level estimated for Kawainui Marsh. (HHF)

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by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Garden Contest

“Impressed with the barrenness of plantation camps, Mr (Frank S) Scudder (editor of The Friend) arranged for a supply of government seeds and shrubs. He then offered prizes … In a few months’ time, districts without grass or trees were converted into what, comparatively speaking, might well be termed veritable beauty spots.” (The Friend, February 1, 1917)

“We desire to furnish plantation laborers with fruit seed so they can have fruit in their own dooryards. If you have fine mangoes, or aligator pears, don’t throw away the seeds, keep them and let us have them to distribute. Any fine strawberry guavas? or any suggestions as to other fruits that can be easily raised?”

“Our ears are open to suggestions as to ways in which hardworking people, without much restful leisure, may be led to improve their home surroundings—to make the camps more delectable places to live in. Any suggestions as to flower or decorative plants? The Friend will be glad to receive Seed Thoughts.” (The Friend, February 1, 1911)

“In 1909 we planned a tree planting campaign. Mr. Ralph W. Hosmer, superintendent of forestry, kindly agreed to raise 2000 trees for free distribution in the camps.”

“The To mo – a Japanese magazine published by the Hawaiian Board – to add zest to the competition, offered four prizes for the best results in tree culture which could be attained in one year. Mr BD Baldwin, of Makaweli, offered $25 in prizes for his plantation.”

“Arbor Day, 1909, was set as the day for delivering and planting the trees. … The awarding of prizes was a delicate task. Some contestants had excelled in securing artistic effects, some in producing the finest trees and some in attaining remarkable results in spite of serious handicaps.”

“The consequence was that instead of giving five prizes as at first promised, the judges had to award eight second prizes as the only possible way out of their dilemma.”

“The writer was so perplexed that his dreams were disturbed by visions of trees and prizes and judges, and he chose as the subject of his prize awarding address the words, ‘I see men as trees, walking.’ The saplings, when set out on Arbor Day, 1909, averaged about 8 inches in height. At the close of the contest Dec. 31, 1910, they ranged from 6 to 15 feet.” (The Friend, March 1, 1911)

“Improved conditions throughout the plantation camps of the islands may be said to be a byproduct of this initial attempt to interest the people in producing a prize winning garden.” (The Friend, February 1, 1917)

Then, the Star-Bulletin sponsored the contest. In January, 1917, the Honolulu Star- Bulletin began an interesting experiment in the form of a school and home garden contest in cooperation with the school department, offering a series of prizes for the best gardens on each of the islands. (Kuykendall)

“With greater financial backing and a more elaborate publicity campaign, the Star-Bulletin can hardly fail to get results. Interest in school gardens has a direct bearing upon the much-mooted question of the small farmer in Hawaii. We bespeak for the campaign a well merited success.” (The Friend, February 1, 1917)

At the close of the contest, three months later, the Star-Bulletin said, with pardonable enthusiasm, “This garden contest has been a remarkable eye-opener, not only to the teachers and pupils, but even to the agricultural experts here, an eye-opener in proving how quickly boys and girls can be trained to raise edible and marketable produce.”

“As a result of this contest, not less than 5,000 boys and girls in Hawaiʻi are becoming producers – are becoming practical gardeners. Twice that number are interested in the gardening.” (Kuykendall)

The Honolulu Advertiser generously acknowledged the good results of this contest, stating that “the management of the Star-Bulletin has, apparently, hit upon a scheme which has accomplished much and promises more. …”

“The best part of the project is that it demonstrates to those who need the knowledge, that vegetables can be produced in all parts of the Territory, if proper care and attention is given them. … The Advertiser congratulates the Star-Bulletin upon the success of its public spirited efforts which are doubly beneficial at this crisis when food production may become one of the vital issues of the day.” (Kuykendall)

“So successful the home and garden contests recently conducted by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and so urgent has been the demand for continuation of the work for which the foundation already has been laid, this paper has decided repeat the contests during the coming school year.” (Star-Bulletin, August 17, 1917)

“The Star-Bulletin contest is a splendid thing both in attracting the attention of the public to the subject and in reaching in a practical and effective way those who, I believe, have the first right to be and ought to be encouraged to be, the future farmers in the Islands – the children born in the land.”

“I am afraid that I have but little sympathy with the idea of encouraging white farmers from the mainland to come to Hawaii.”

“In addition to this work of encouraging the boys and girls to look forward to life on the farm, which the Star-Bulletin is so splendidly helping along, there is need of providing a decent opportunity for them when they are ready to go on the land, and of surrounding their life there with conditions conducive to success and contentment.”

“However, there is cause for much encouragement too. Behind one of the most important measures is the splendid backing of Mr CH Cooke and Mr HA Baldwin, which ensures its passage.” (Edwin C. Moore, Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Star-Bulletin, January 24, 1917) The contest continued for a few more years.

An interesting side note related to the Garden Contest came from a report by J Vincent, Principal of Kealahou School in Kula, “For years the Kula farmers have planted small plots to onions but from any seed they happened to purchase in five-cent jackets in our local stores and no special variety was even thought of.”

“This spelled failure end the majority of our farmers had come to the conclusion that onions could not be successfully grown in Hawaii.”

“Our school experimented with a number of varieties but did not have much success until a representative from Aggeler & Musser (Seed) Company called on us and recommended that we plant Bermudas, which we did.” (Bermuda is a variety of sweet onion.)

“We then succeeded in raising a fair crop and in a remarkably short time, as Bermudas mature very early. The farmers became enthusiastic and purchased over 50 pounds of seed. They also raised a fine crop ….” (Star-Bulletin, April 14, 1917)

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The Donna

“Honolulu is to have a new family hotel – ‘The Donna’ – at Beretania and Piikoi streets. The four cottages owned by Col CJ McCarthy are to be made into a hotel, having about thirty rooms, and the opening will take place next month. Mrs CJ McCarthy will manage the enterprise.”

“During recent months there have been many visitors unable to get the sort of accommodations they wanted. Several of the local hostelries have had the experience recently of turning away applicants for room and board, and visitors have had difficulty in finding places at all suited to them.”

“The McCarthy cottages are located in a fine residence district and have attractive grounds.” (Hawaiian Star, Feb 17, 1910)  “It was run by the McCarthy family and Mr. [Charles J] McCarthy at one time was governor of Hawai’i. [1918-1921] Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy ran this hotel.” (Nell Kahululani Conant Porter, Watumull Oral History)

Charles James McCarthy “was born in Boston, August 4, 1861, and came to San Francisco with [his] parents in 1866. [He] was educated in the grammar schools of that city also attended the Pacific Business College. [He came] to Hawaii in March, 1881, as an employee of a wholesale fruit house, which shipped tropical fruits to San Francisco .”

In 1889 he married Margaret Teresa Morgan. “Mrs. McCarthy was born in Honolulu on October 30, 1865, the daughter of Robert Dalton Morgan and Catherine Ward Morgan. Both her parents were born in Dublin, Ireland, and had lived in New York City before coming to Hawaii. Her father came to the islands three years before his wife and family followed”.

“A native of Honolulu, Mrs. McCarthy was intensely interested in the islands and beloved by the Hawaiian people of whom she was a true and understanding friend. She spoke Hawaiian fluently and did much in the interests of these people.”

“As a member and for several years an officer of the Outdoor Circle se took a leading part in the organization’s work to preserve the natural charm of the islands. She was also a member of the Sons and Daughters of Warriors, the Daughters of Hawaii and the Guild of Francis Hospital.”  (Hnl Adv, March 19, 1934)

After several elected public service positions, CJ McCarthy “was appointed Governor of Hawaii on April 18, 1918, for a term of four years. On March 4th, 1921 , [he] tendered [his] resignation to President Harding to take effect June 1st, [1921, because he had] been appointed by the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce to represent them in Washington, DC.”  (Charles J McCarthy Autobiographical Sketch, American Irish Historical Society)

“Mrs. McCarthy’s life was a busy one.  In addition to the task of rearing her family of five daughters and seconding her husband’s public activities, she successfully established and maintained the Donna Hotel on Beretania street and also managed other apartment holdings at Waikiki.” (Hnl Adv, March 19, 1934)

[T]here was a large house, two or three stories high, and it was the home of Governor [Charles J] McCarthy. He was governor here [June 22, 1918 to 1921.] And his wife had the hotel and it was her private project.”

“He had nothing to do with it and she wanted it understood that it was hers and she ran it and they had the best food in the city that you could buy, you know, at a restaurant and she did catering for big parties if the people wanted to pay for really nice food, nice catering. And the rooms weren’t so good.”

“She owned, I think, three buildings – could have been only two – there on Beretania and they owned the land right straight through to the street behind it, Kinau.”

“Their big house was where Schuman Carriage Company is and then these smaller houses, where they had roomers, were Waikiki side. And then they had the dining room–main dining room. That was the style of practically all the hotels here then.” (Margaret Way, Watumull Oral History)

It was originally advertised as “Home-Like in its surroundings and comforts and with all the conveniences and ease of the most approved hotel” “The Donna The new Apartment Hotel” at “1262-70-76-86 Beretania Avenue” ((PCA, Jun 1, 1910)

“The Donna Hotel, 1286 S. Beretania, is delightfully situated within ten minutes’ ride from the center of Honolulu. Here, amidst the surroundings of a subtropical park, one may enjoy all the comforts of home.”

“The rooms in the main buildings or in one of the attractive screened cottages are cheery, well-furnished, and have hot and cold running water. The delicious home cooked meals are served at little cozy tables which are grouped about an artistically decorated open lanai. Permanent rates are $65 a month or $3.00 a day and up.” (Mid-Pacific Magazine, Feb 1928)

“Although located amidst quiet and restful surroundings, The Donna is only a few minutes’ walk from the business portion of the city. Electric cars, which transfer to all parts of the city and the beach, have a station in front of the house.  The Donna has many unique and pleasing features that will irresistably appeal to visitors to Honolulu.” (The Courtland Guide, Jan 1917)

“C. & M. McCarthy, Ltd., was a corporation organized under the laws of the Territory of Hawaii. In 1944 it owned (and presumably operated) in Honolulu the Donna Hotel and the Waikiki Apartments.” The company was dissolved on February 15, 1945.  (US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Oct 10, 1957, 248 F.2d 765)

The hotel operation and apartment rentals “was her business. She may have had it before he was governor and she kept it quite a long time afterward too.” (Margaret Way, Watumull Oral History) The Donna Hotel was situated on property now occupied by Times Super Market. (Yardley, Hnl Adv, Apr 10, 1985)

“The home and the hotel properties ran back to Kinau Street, but a high wooden fence separated the rear part of the hotel grounds. Behind the fence were the staff quarters, known as Japanese Camp.”

“It was a community unto itself with its own stores and baths. The waiters, maids, dish washers, cook, yard men and laundresses all lived there and to and from work through a door in the fence.”

“The hotel building on the on the Kaimuki end consisted of rooms upstairs and the office, parlor, public rooms and a dining room on the lanai of the first floor. An inviting lanai with rockers ran the length pf the front of the building.”

“The rooms were simple, clean and always cool. Floors were covered with sturdy lauhala mats, the dining tables covered with white linen cloths (with linen napkins tucked in the guest’s own napkin ring), and the quest rooms had comfortable iron and brass bedsteads covered with heavy white counterpanes.”

“Mrs McCarthy was a fabulous Island cook and her recipes and menus were referred to as the Kitchen Bible. … Unfortunately, the era of boarding houses in lovely residential districts is a thing of the past, but how nice it would be to have them revived.” (Yardley, Hnl Adv, Apr 10, 1985)

An interesting aside … “Governor McCarthy was the fifth territorial governor but the first to live at Washington Place. In 1918, he leased Washington Place privately. In 1921, the Territorial government purchased Washington Place from the Liliʻuokalani Estate.” (Washington Place)

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Scariest Story I Know

It’s Halloween – I was asked to tell a spooky story. I first thought about stories about Night Marchers, but then realized I have an even spookier story than that.

Here’s the scariest story I know.

Not long ago, a family was sitting at the kitchen table – wondering why they weren’t able to make ends meet.

In fact, simply sitting there, they were getting deeper and deeper into debt.

Their household income was $77,700. However, that year they spent over $90,000 – they put about 30-cents of every dollar they spent on a credit card.

Because of their spending in the prior years, the family had accumulated about $450,000 in debt.

While that outstanding debt sounds like the amount of a mortgage, it’s not. Unlike a mortgage, they have no house or anything else to show for this debt – it is simply money they owe.

They scratch their heads and wonder why.

This seemingly fictional family is real – these numbers represent the context of the national deficit and the debt (in the context of if a median income family spent money like the federal government).

The US national debt has passed $36.93 trillion. (October 2, 2023)

We keep spending money we don’t have.

Administration after administration, I think it’s pretty clear, folks in the federal government don’t want budgets – they want unlimited spending and no accountability for the money they spend (contrary to the key reasons why budgets are prepared.)

That’s like a family that makes $77,700 a year – and is already up to their necks in debt – blowing over $90,000 a year.  It does not make rational sense.

Deficits and debt cost money; it is called interest – paying this cost of borrowing does nothing in providing services and programs for the people today.  In addition to the interest, you also need to repay the principal of the debt.

Likewise, to pay off the debt you have to use current dollars to pay back past expenditures – money spent paying interest and paying back past debt does nothing in providing services and programs for the people today.

We had been fortunate that interest rates had been low – their lowest ever … but, now interest rates are rising.  More of our hard-earned tax dollars will go to paying higher interest on our growing deficits and debt.

Think about your household – I bet you find ways to cut spending to make ends meet. The folks in Washington, including the White House, don’t even try.

Some say, “we don’t have to worry about it short-term.”

In other words, if you have $7 but spend $9 (and continually borrow to make up the difference,) year after year, it’s OK – let future generations of Americans worry about it (the can is being kicked to your children and grandchildren).

Government should follow the example set by the American household:

  • live within your means (have a balanced budget)
  • we can’t continue to spend money we don’t have (stop deficit spending and borrowing to cover the difference)

Stop the Rhetoric – Balance the Budget – Reduce the Debt

You can’t spend money you don’t have. You can’t borrow your way out of debt.

For those that still don’t get it, I think I need to repeat this simple, basic thought:

You can’t spend money you don’t have. You can’t borrow your way out of debt.

This is the scariest story I know – and we are all caught in the middle of it, whether we like it or not.

As of August 5, 2025, the US Senate figure for the debt of the federal government is $36.93 trillion. This equates to:
• $108,551 for every person living in the US.
• $279,319 for every household in the US.
• About 82% more than the combined consumer debt of every household in the US.
• About 7.0 times annual federal revenues.
• About 123% of annual US economic output (GDP).

“The federal budget deficit totaled $1.3 trillion in the first nine months of fiscal year 2025, the Congressional Budget Office estimates. That amount is $65 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year.” (Congressional Budget Office)

“Net interest has been exploding over the past few years, with payments rising from $223 billion in 2015 to $345 billion in 2020 before nearly tripling to $881 billion in 2024. In 2025, CBO projects net interest will total $952 billion, a near-record 3.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and interest will eclipse its record as a share of the economy in 2026.” (Committee for Responsible Federal Budget)

Every man, woman and child in the United States owes nearly $110,000 as his or her share of the national debt. Not every US citizen is a taxpayer; for taxpayers, you owe more than $323,000 (as his or her share of the national debt). (Highland County Press)

Scary, isn’t it? Happy Halloween.

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Train Accident at Maulua Tunnel

Following the Treaty of Reciprocity (1875) between the US and the Kingdom of Hawai‘i (that eliminated the major trade barrier to Hawai‘i’s closest and major market), sugar cultivation exploded on the Big Island.

As a means to transport sugar and other goods, on March 28, 1899, Dillingham received a charter to build the original eight miles of the Hilo Railroad that connected the Olaʻa sugar mill to Waiākea, that was soon to become the location of Hilo’s deep water port.

Rail line extensions continued.  Extensions were soon built to Pāhoa, where the Pahoa Lumber Company was manufacturing ʻōhia and koa railroad ties for export to the Santa Fe Railroad.

All the sugar grown in East Hawaiʻi, in Puna and on the Hāmākua Coast, was transported by rail to Hilo Harbor, where it was loaded onto ships bound for the continent.

An early account stated that the rail line crossed over 12,000 feet in bridges, 211 water openings under the tracks, and individual steel spans up to 1,006 feet long and 230 feet in height.

Some of the most notable were those over Maulua and Honoliʻi gulches, the Wailuku River and Laupāhoehoe.

Over 3,100 feet of tunnels were constructed, one of which, the Maulua Tunnel (built in 1912), was over half a mile in length. This historic tunnel once opened to a 144 ft. high steel trestle that was 1,006 ft. in length.

While the main business of the railroad remained the transport of raw sugar and other products to and from the mills,  it also provided passenger service.

Between 1909 and 1913, the Hāmākua Division of the railroad was constructed to service the sugar mills north of Hilo. Unfortunately, the cost of building the Hāmākua extension essentially destroyed the Hilo Railroad, which was sold in 1916 and reorganized as the Hawaiʻi Consolidated Railway.

Targeting tourists to augment local passenger and raw sugar transport, the Hawaiʻi Consolidated Railway ran sightseeing specials under the name “Scenic Express.”

Passengers were treated to spectacular views of the rugged Hamakua Coast, pounding surf, massive cliffs, plunging waterfalls, and wild and tangled tropical vegetation.

Not for the faint of heart, these trips included a stop on the trestles, where passengers disembarked to admire the outstanding scenery.

Then, an accident … “According to information from passengers, the observation train had just passed through the long tunnel at the approach of Maulua gulch trestle at 10:30 am, and had come to a stop on the high steel structure to allow the passengers to enjoy the view from that point.”

“As the observation train stood still the regular passenger train following came out of the tunnel. The brakes of the oncoming locomotive failed to hold well enough to stop the train from coming into collision.”

“The accident occurred about 100 feet out from the tunnel, as both trains were headed towards Paauilo.  The derailed rear truck of the excursion train was thrown about one foot off the rails, it Is said.” (HTH, Oct 22, 1924)

“‘We all feel that we had a miraculous escape,’ a member of the excursion said in commenting on yesterday’s accident. ‘Although a near tragedy, the accident has put a different atmosphere into the party.”

“You might say that we feel awed. In that short moment yesterday morning families were drawn closer together and we have forgotten the little things that irritated us.’”

“Very soon after the accident everyone had himself well in hand, husbands were particularly attentive to wives, and a gentleman of the party went about administering ‘oxygen’ from the bulb of his kodak to those who were feeling faint.” (HTH (Oct 23, 1924)

A few remnants of the railway are still visible. Hawaiʻi Consolidated’s yards were in the Waiākea district of Hilo, where the roundhouse still stands today, next to the county swimming pool on Kalanikoa Street.

In Laupāhoehoe, a concrete platform remains where Hula dancers once performed for tourists. And the Laupāhoehoe Train Museum is housed in the former home of Mr. Stanley, the superintendent of maintenance.

Today, the Laupāhoehoe Train Museum and Visitors Center keeps the memory of Hawaiʻi Consolidated Railway alive.  The admission fee is $10 for adults, Kamaaina $8, and $5 students. Special rates for tours are also offered.

The museum is typically open 10 am to 2 pm Monday – Saturday. Other days open by appointment. (Hours sometimes change based on available volunteers.) The address is 36-2377 Māmalahoa Highway, Laupāhoehoe, Hawaiʻi 96764.  (Lots of information here for Laupāhoehoe Train Museum and Ian Birnie.)

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