Explore Maunalua

Ocean Safety ʻOhana Instagram

Follow Our Journey

June 20, 2020: Before we enter a space, we begin the journey at home by doing some research – environmental conditions, unique attractions or features, and cultural context are just some things to study in preparation for huakaʻi. One of the sources we looked to for our Huakaʻi Maunalua is Livable Hawaii Kai Hui – and love this manaʻo they gifted to all of us recently, from Hui cultural advisor Ann Marie Kirk. Mahalo @livablehawaiikaihui for your work to mālama Maunalua. #KnowBeforeYouGo.
Repost from @livablehawaiikaihui

Hui Cultural Advisor Ann Marie Kirk really sums up why we so often emphasize Hawaiian values and the reason we began #MaunaluaMondays.

Our name, Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, was created back in 2004 to acknowledge the neighborhood we share and our goal of improving it for all generations. However, we recognize that in the grand scheme of things, Hawaii Kai is just a small piece of the area’s history. People should know that Maunalua is more than just a bay. This is why we support efforts to revitalize and promote not only our history, but present and future iterations of Hawaiian culture in the area.

Mahalo to Ann Marie and Maunalua.net for constantly sharing ‘ike Hawai’i with us!

June 20, 2020: @oceansafetyohana had the privilege to sit down with five inspiring young leaders in Maunalua – all recent graduates or rising seniors at Kaiser High School – who are part of @wipeoutcrew

We captured some of our talk story in the breeze along the beach at Kuliʻouʻou Beach Park, where these young women helped share what @wipeoutcrew is all about, what they love about growing up in Maunalua, and thoughts on how to stay safe and really enjoy the rich culture, history and beauty of their backyard when you’re visiting.

June 19, 2020: This Google Earth fly-by tour gives a sense of the human footprint in East Honolulu, and just how close the community is to the surrounding ocean. We have probably all heard about the threat that sea level rise poses for our islands, and the Maunalua region is no exception. King Tides, the highest astronomical tides of the year, typically happen in the summer months in Hawaiʻi. They provide insight into the likely impacts of rising seas, and many of us have seen the impacts of KIng Tides first hand. With so many families, businesses and key infrastructure so close to the ocean along Maunalua Bay it feels important that we begin adapting now.

June 15, 2020: Spending a day mauka to makai is always a joy! We started the day with the team of interns and staff from @malamamaunalua, reading the signs posted by DLNR and HTA at the trailhead to learn about area history and insights for safety and cultural awareness. We enacted our own safety guidelines like physical-distancing and grounding ourselves in place through offering protocol. It took us nearly 2.5 hours to reach the top of the ridge, stopping along the way to observe the transitions in plant life, identify native species, and take in the incredible views of Maunalua Bay. The @malamamaunalua team saw the opportunity to ‘imi ‘ike, sharing knowledge about native plants, endemic birds and local history.

June 10, 2020: This week, @oceansafetyohana moves to the southeast corner of Oʻahu to spend some time in Maunalua. This incredible stretch of coastline where the Koʻolau meet the shallow waters of Maunalua Bay has a rich, and well-documented history. It was home to several loko iʻa, or traditional Hawaiian fishponds, including what is recognized by some as the largest on Oʻahu. Like much of Hawaiʻi, this area has undergone significant transformation over the past century, and it falls on all of us to carry the legacy of Maunalua’s ecological and cultural importance into the future by learning and respecting that history.

June 13, 2020: Mālama Maunalua. Over 12 years ago, @malamamaunalua was created with the intention to help heal the bay and bring this very popular huakaʻi destination back to life. For today’s Morning in Maunalua, @oceansafetyohana sat along the Maunalua Bay shoreline to talk story with Mālama Maunalua’s Executive Director, Doug Harper, about the organizations work with thousands of volunteers and youth, what makes this region of Oʻahu so special to them, how we can stay safe while taking care of a place, and what lessons he thinks can be learned from this corner of the island.

#malama #maunalua #healthebay #huakai #safe #oahu #volunteer #place

 

June 9, 2020: Mahalo nunui to the Mākaha community, and to ocean ambassadors Keoni Keaulani and ʻOhana DeSoto for helping us safely and respectfully learn more about such sacred spaces. We send our aloha and gratitude to Mākaha as we prepare to head southeast to our next Huakaʻi: Maunalua.

Today, we share with you a “Digital Huakaʻi” — How we might use maps and technologies like Google Earth to help us explore and adventure safely and responsibly, and how might these tools be used by local communities and visitors to support our shared work in understanding, caring for and protecting our islands and ocean? We also want to encourage you to check out the digital resources we’ve collected and links to partner organizations we curated on our website at www.oceansafetyohana.org, and share with us your favorite apps, websites and other technologies for exploring mauka to makai. We encourage you to visit @homaikapono – an incredible guide for developing your practice of kilo by paying close attention to the sun, moon and changes happening around and inside of you.

 

When you learn where you are, you learn who you are.

Huakaʻi: Mauka to Makai by Ocean Safety ʻOhana, in partnership with Nā Kama Kai and Pacific Blue Studios

An Education Incubator Project

Our Partners