By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

This is a story about Walter Paulo, his Hawaiian rock, and mana or spiritual power.

You can see the rock in the waikiki-makai corner of the 'Iolani Palace grounds, sitting on top of the ahu, or shrine, built the night of Jan. 16, 1993, before the sun rose on the 100th anniversary of the overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani.

That was the day Gov. John Waihe'e flew the Hawaiian flag on top of 'Iolani Palace instead of the Stars and Stripes.

The rock sits in the middle of the ahu, a perfectly round rock the size of a large beach ball — not gray basalt but black, porous lava.

Paulo lives in Miloli'i, a fishing village in South Kona, when he's not in Honolulu.

Two things you should know about him: He's a soldier of the Hawaiian nation and he loves his 32-foot Gas-pro fishing boat, the Menehune.

Back about 1990, Paulo loaded up two nephews into Menehune at Miloli'i and headed north up the coast to a place called Alika Papa to pick 'opihi and do a little spearing. He waited while they went diving. "Uncle, we saw an 'aumakua (ancestor) stone on the bottom," said a nephew when he climbed back into the boat.

"Go back and get it." The nephews didn't want to, because they were afraid of bad luck. But Paulo insisted, so they found the stone again and, with great difficulty, got it into the boat.

At Miloli'i, they ran and told their auntie. Paulo's sister was furious when she heard about the 'aumakua rock. "Walter Paulo, take that stone right back," she scolded. "When you come from Honolulu, you make trouble." Paulo let her talk herself out, then he said:

"Be careful. The grandfolks came from Alika Papa. If that rock was there for ages, it would be covered with barnacles. It doesn't even have moss on it. How do you know menehune didn't put it there so we'd find it? It could be our grandparents."

That quieted his sister. Walter took the rock to his place in Honolulu. When there was a gathering of the Hawaiian nation at Kamehameha Schools, he hauled it up there. It took two men to carry it. Everybody heard the story and admired the rock.

So Paulo brought it to 'Iolani Palace on Jan. 17, 1993, to put on the new ahu.

It was the perfect home for his rock. But the people who built the shrine told him it would have to be removed in two days. Paulo offered up his stone anyway.

Bill Paty, then director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources in charge of the palace grounds, glanced around and saw the rock. He rubbed his hand over it.

Paulo said to himself, "My 'aumakua is going to stay right here."

The shrine is still there after almost 10 years. Ti and taro are going up around it.

Paulo said he doesn't think taking rocks brings bad luck. His yard at Miloli'i is full of them — 'ili'ili, or beach pebbles, as well as large boulders.

"You don't have to be afraid," he said. "Always ask (the gods) before you take, no problem."