Hakalau School: Honoring the Past and Engaging the Community...Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

After more than two years of sustained advocacy and negotiations, Wailea Village Historic Preservation Community (WVHPC) has reached agreement with DOE on a 12 month use permit for full utilization and public access to Hakalau School classroom building & grounds.  The effective date is May 1, 2018 and following a period of basic interior and exterior improvements focused on power, water, security, signage, parking and furnishings we envision a full range of community center uses such as public meetings, classes, cultural and educational events.  Contact WVHPC President Akiko Masuda at 963-6422 or msakiko@hawaii.rr.com for additional information and join us in celebrating the Hakalau School Green Team volunteers for their spirited leadership in keeping this dream alive!
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Students in class at Hakalau School, 1930. Photo from the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family.
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Hakalau School Class of 1930: Sitting (Left to Right): Yoshiwo Oba, Takeshi Teruya, Sadayoshi Furumoto, Masaru Morikone, Shigeo Isaki, Kuwamu Morita, Yoshito Sakamoto. Back Row: Waichi Ouye, Minoru Meguro, Principal Capellas, Adviser T. Maneki, Isamu Takemoto, Matsuzen Nakamura. Photo from the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family.

Updates as of June 6, 2018

Yesterday:
  • Timeline: Revamped and expanded to include detail from Hakalau Plantation Company's annual reports and other sources. Included so far: 1900's, 1910's, 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's and 1970's. This section will continue to grow as more resources are discovered and reviewed.
  • Timeline: Included photos from the 1946 Sugar Strike at Hakalau
  • Expanded and reorganized the history of the Hakalau Jodo Mission, part of the effort towards having the Mission designated an historic church. LOTS of  pictures added.
  • Hangouts and Memories: Picture of the Young Buddhist Association Softball Tournament from 1941 added to the Hakalau Park/School Complex.
  • Sources for the history of the Ross Families of Hakalau added.

Today: ​​
Tomorrow:​​
  • Update on Cliff Failures with new pictures taken in March 2018 from the ocean looking back at the cliffs, from Kolekole to Ninole.
  • Update on Hamakua Community Development Plan adoption process. After 9 years of work, it's under review by the Windward Planning Commission and then it will go to the County Council for action.

Why we created hakalauhome.com

Creating hakalauhome.com is our way of showing our respect for those who came before us, to build upon the history and share it broadly, and to showcase the collective effort of residents of Hakalau today.

​Former residents share a love of Hakalau and work diligently to share pictures, stories and maps to reinforce their memories. Ken and I learned a lot from these folks and, gladly, have maintained contact with many. The key lesson was that culture can be passed from one time to another and one group to another. The values from the plantation community that former residents shared are gifts to us:
  • Engage in collective effort
  • Look out for each other
  • Honor hard work
  • Show respect for those who came before us

Aloha,
​Ken and Susan Forbes