Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 6, 1 June 2016 — NOW RESTORED [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NOW RESTORED

By Dave Dondoneau The gilded crest embedded on the entry gate at Mauna 'Ala is , onee again

shimmering in its regal, c golden state, the first sign to greet visitors that indicates nine years of major repairs and restorations at The , Royal Mausoleum are

recently completed. The hallowed site is the hnal resting plaee of members of the Kamehameha and Kalākaua dynasties, but until recently the monuments and grounds had a weathered feel with crumbling infrastructure and monuments. "The site was in such disrepair it really took a collective effort to get all the work and fundraising done," said Stacy Clayton, executive strategy consultant for Kamehameha Schools

Strategy & Innovation Division. "The Royal Mausoleum is one of the most sacred sites in all of the islands and the ali'i trusts and individuals all stepped up to not only restore

the sanctity of the sacred grounds, the tombs, ehapel and the monuments. but

going forward they're committed to ensuring

the upkeep.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs donated $180,000 to the Mālama Mauna 'Ala fundraising project, whieh raised more than $2 million. "When

it comes to Mauna 'Ala, the sacred resting plaee of our great ali'i, OHA, the ali'i trusts, nonprofits, the state and the federal government are all of the same mind," said Office of Hawaiian Affairs Ka Pouhana and CEO Kamana'opono Crabbe. "The royal mausoleum should never have fallen into disrepair. Now that it's been restored, we're all committed to ensuring it remains worthy of the royalty that rests there." The renovations were deemed necessary following a 2004 report about the distraught condition of Mauna 'Ala. Work began in 2006 and was completed in 2015 with the state repaving and re-curbing the facility's oval driveway. On May 6, entities from across the state, including members of the ali'i hui and Gov. David Ige, gathered at Mauna 'Ala to celebrate the completion of renovations and repairs. Six other major projects were completed, including an addition to the curator's house; construction of a new bathroom and storage area; repairs to the ehapel, tombs, and crypts; repair and stabilization of the stonewall on the ground's ma kai boundary; painting and

re-gilding of the ornamental ironwork fence and gates; and various landscape improvements. To ensure major renovations won't be needed again, several trusts set up a Memorandum of Understanding with DLNR in 2013 for the purpose of establishing an instrument through whieh these parties ean assist in the financing and execution of projects needed to maintain, renovate, and repair the tombs, gravesites,

ehapel, buildings, and landscaping at Mauna 'Ala. The 3.5 acre site in Nu'uanu was established by Kamehameha SEE MAUNA 'ALA ON PAGE 24

Mālama Mauna 'Ala Donor List DONOR AMOUNĪ Hawai'i Tourism Authority $30,000 Charles Reed Bishop T rust $150,000 Kamehameha Schools $250,000 Queen's Health Systems $150,000 Queen Lili'uokalani Trust $150,000 First Hawaiian Bank Foundation $50,000 State of Hawai'i (Grant in Aid) $500,000 Office of Hawaiian Affairs $180,000 National Parks Service Save America's T reasures $300,000 State of Hawai'i (Capital lmprovements Project Road Repair) $300,000 lndividual Donations $9,120 īōīāi $2,069,120 Source: Charles R. Bishop īrust

j OHAIN THE ^ > COMMUNITY /

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Native Hawaiian organizations from around the state gathered at Mauna 'Ala to celebrate the end of a nine-year renovation and restoration project. - Photo: Courtesy Kamehameha Schools

lhegilded cresttothe entry gate of Mauna 'Ala. - Photo: Courtesy oīKamehameha _ Schools

MAUNA 'ALA Continued from page 8

IV in 1864 to house the remains of the direct descendants of Kamehameha I and their close family members and advisors. Clayton said the last big project on the grounds was the construction of the caretaker's house in 200 1 and other major renovations eame in 1997 and 1992 when renovations and repairs were done on the John Young and Kalākaua Crypts, respectively. According to Hawai'i TourismAuthority, more than 30,000 people visit the sacred burial grounds annually and Clayton said Kamehameha Schools and other Native Hawaiian schools and groups also visit the grounds for educational and historic purposes. Lanee Wilhelm, a Charles Bishop Trustee, said the site

has tremendous relevance. "Mauna 'Ala is more than the resting plaee for our our ali'i. It is more than a repository of historical signiheanee," he said. "Mauna 'Ala lives. It is as real and relevant for us as it was to our ali'i who chose this, of all places in our pae 'aina, for the eternal resting plaee of Hawai'i's great leaders. "It is one of the few places left to our people where we ean draw a straight line from our past to our present and connect where we are today to where we eame from. Mauna 'Ala's stewardship is essential for our people. It is now and must remain a plaee that we maintain in a way befitting the greatness of those who rest here." ■ Dave Dondoneau, a freelanee writer, is aformer editor and reporterfor the Honolulu Advertiser.

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