Posted on: Thursday, September 23, 2004
Teahouse, hale to be restored in 'Iao park
By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor
WAILUKU, Maui — Two symbols of Maui's rich ethnic heritage are being restored at Kepaniwai Park in 'Iao Valley.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser The site below the Hawai'i Nature Center in 'Iao Valley is a popular area for families to picnic, enjoy the cooler weather and swim in the bracing 'Iao Stream.
The teahouse sits next to a Japanese-style garden with a pond and arched bridge, a familiar backdrop for wedding photos. No one is quite sure when it was built, but officials said they thought it was at least 20 to 30 years old.
Terminix tented the wooden structure for termite treatment last week, and the Hawai'i Carpenters Union will be helping with repairs. Japanese Cultural Society of Maui President Yuki Lei Sugimura said members would schedule workdays to paint and clean up landscaping.
The project is being done in cooperation with the county Department of Parks and Recreation and Tri-Isle Resource Conservation Development Council, which is providing money for termite treatment and building materials.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser At the lower end of the park, Francis Sinenci, a Native Hawaiian master builder from Hana, is constructing the hale using a wooden framework and loulu, or fan palm, thatching. Sinenci helped draft indigenous design standards recently implemented on Maui and soon to be used on other islands.
The standards allow for the use of fire sprinklers, and Sinenci worked on his 62nd birthday Tuesday to install a sprinkler system at the Kepaniwai hale, lessening the chances of another fire. He said the entire project would take about 50 to 60 days, including 10 to 15 days for the thatching.
Once completed, the open-air hale will be able to host Hawaiian ceremonies and other gatherings.
The county contributed $50,000, also sponsored by Pu'u Honua O 'Iao, Friends of Moku'ula and Hale Kuhikuhi.
With the two restoration projects and last year's dedication of a Korean pavilion to commemorate the centennial of Korean immigration to Hawai'i, community interest in the Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens appears to be growing.
Floyd Miyazono of the Parks Department said the county recently moved equipment and materials that had been stored in the Portuguese structure after a Portuguese cultural group expressed a desire to use it as a meeting place.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
A replica of a Japanese teahouse is being repaired by the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui, and a Hawaiian hale is being rebuilt after an earlier structure was destroyed in a fire in January 2003. Both buildings are part of the county park's Heritage Gardens, which also contains examples of Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino and missionary architecture.
A replica of a Japanese teahouse, one of the diverse features in 'Iao Valley's Heritage Gardens, is being refurbished by the Japanese Cultural Center of Maui as part of its 35th anniversary commemoration.
Sugimura said the Kepaniwai teahouse project will help mark the group's 35th anniversary and honor its mission of perpetuating Japanese culture while performing a community service.
Hawaiian master builder Francis Sinenci of Hana is rebuilding the Hawaiian hale in the park using loulu, or fan palm, thatching.
