Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 8, 1 August 1995 — Nā nalu nui loa attack hale aliʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Nā nalu nui loa attack hale aliʻi

by Jeff Clark Kailua-Kona's historic Hulihe'e Palaee sustained heavy damage when the biggest south swell in years hit in mid-June. Large waves destroyed a section of the seawall fronting the palaee, and some of the wall's rocks damaged the building's exterior. Water also caused damage by surging onto the lawn and into the basement. Curator Fanny Au Hoy said the waves started getting "really big" about 2 p.m. on June 12. When 5 o'eioek eame the whole wall - about 150 feet of stones - toppled. "The waves kept getting bigger and bigger and before you knew it the entire stone wall was down," she said. The palace's seawall was built in the lale 1920s or early 1930s, Au Hoy estimated. lt was vulnerable because parts of ihe revetment - eonnnueā on page 13

Big waves damage Hulihe'e Palaee

from page 8

boulders in front of the wall meant to deflect wave energy - had been shifted around by Hurricane 'Iniki. Au Hoy initially estimated the damage to be at least half a million dollars. But her heart was warmed by the helpful response from the community as well as from county, state and federal agencies. She said, "The Kona community was here. They had heard about it and everyone was here and they just pitched in." She said staff, volunteers and community ntembers piled plastic bags they had filled with sand around the base of the structure in between sets of waves, removed chunks of the wall from the vicinity to prevent them from smashing against the palaee, cleaned other debris from the yard, and kept the groceries flowing to refresh their fellow workers.

By the time the swell subsided June 14, Au Hoy said, the Hawaiian Civic Club of KailuaKona had already begun raising money to repair the palaee, whieh was built in 1 838 and was at one point the home of Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani. (Contributions may be sent to the Daughters of Hawai'i, 75-5718 Ali'i Dr., Kailua-Kona, HI 96740.) Nearby, Ahu'ena Heiau's oceanside wall was also badly damaged. Kupuna David Mauna Roy called the damage "considerable." He said waves sent rocks up on the wall and through the fence, but expressed guarded optimism that the repairs could be made without inordinate expense. "We're lucky it didn't ruin the whole wall."