Posted on: Friday, May 13, 2005
Big Island royal site to be added to state park
Advertiser Staff
HILO, Hawai'i — Gov. Linda Lingle has released $600,000 and approved the expenditure of an equal amount in matching federal funds to acquire 1.25 acres in North Kona to expand Keolonahihi State Historical Park.
The area was split by the construction of Ali'i Drive in the 1800s. The 12-acre Keolonahihi complex on the makai side of Ali'i Drive was acquired by the state in 1980 to preserve and manage the archaeological and historical sites. The administration of Gov. Ben Cayetano arranged for the donation of the 16-acre Keakealaniwahine complex on the mauka side of the highway in 1998 as part of his vision of a statewide collection of parks he dubbed Hawai'i's "string of pearls."
In 2003, the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, developed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, identified acquisition of the 1.25-acre parcel as a high priority. Big Island Mayor Harry Kim also supported the acquisition as another step toward preserving the significant cultural site in North Kona.
"It was the Hawaiian community that first brought this parcel of land to our attention nearly three years ago, and the state and county have been working together since then to ensure that this culturally significant property is saved from development," Kim said in a statement.
Kim thanked landowner Wayne H. Blasman for giving officials time to come up with the money to buy the property. The parcel is zoned for high-density residential development, and Blasman had proposed a condominium project before deciding to sell the land to the state.
The DLNR will work with the National Park Service and the county to preserve the site.
The matching federal funds are from the National Park Service and the Department of Interior's Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The parcel was once part of the Holualoa Royal Center, a significant archaeological area that includes temple sites, stone walls, platforms and other features, including one believed to have been the personal residence of Keakealaniwahine, who ruled the Big Island in the mid-1600s. Keakealaniwahine was the great-great-grandmother of Kamehameha I. She and her mother were the only women to have ruled the island.
