HAKIPU'U — With the summer camp program canceled at Kualoa Regional Park this year, the city and students from Hakipu'u Learning Center are taking a story of Kualoa on the road.

The center's Na Hoa 'Aina student club turned a Hawaiian legend into a puppet show and is performing it at dozens of parks throughout O'ahu.

From Makaha to 'Aina Haina and from Waimanalo to Kahuku, about 15 Hakipu'u students shared the legend about Nanahoa and Kaluau who were turned into stone because Nanahoa didn't listen to his elders. The style of puppetry, called hula ki'i, was developed by well known kumu hula John Lake and Nona Beamer, said Calvin Hoe, program coordinator for the school.

Hakipu'u Learning Center uses the park throughout the year for its science, P.E. and canoeing courses. During the summer the students prepare programs for the summer campouts.

"It's part of a giveback to Kualoa because they help us a lot the whole year long," Hoe said. "It's also about (the students) learning how to teach."

But the summer camp was canceled due to the uncertain water conditions after spiking bacterial counts placed the waters off limits to swimmers, divers and boaters. The water is safe to swim in now, but the ban was lifted too late to plan for summer camping, said Wil Ho, Windward O'ahu district manager for the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

"To have a camp program and not have water activities is obscene," he said, adding that the Hakipu'u students are part of a traveling summer fun program that includes Hawaiian culture and other fun activities. "If we'd had a camp program that would have been part of the program."

The Hakipu'u students began preparation for the summer show in the fall, learning to play various traditional instruments, including a nose flute, bamboo drums and ipu. They learned about hula ki'i and how to make puppets out of coconuts, using material they found in nature to fashion eyes, teeth and hair.

Children at Pacific Palisades Community Park were very attentive to the puppet show Friday, which was introduced with sounds from the nose whistle and a chant.

They learned that Nanahoa was a special boy who wasn't allowed to look at girls until he got married or he would be turned into a stone. He was raised by himself in the mountains above Kualoa Beach. Kaluau was also special, born in Tahiti and growing into a beautiful girl. But she was unhappy and ran away from home and landed on the shores of Kualoa Beach.

Overcome by curiosity, Nanahoa stole down to the beach to visit with Kaluau and although he tried not to look at her, he was turned into stone. His stone figure — a phallic rock — sits atop the Kanehoalani Ridge and can be seen from the beach. Kaluau was so saddened that the gods took pity on her and turned her into stone so the two could always look at each other. Her stone is on the wall of the fishpond at Kualoa.

After each performance the children are taught how to make pinwheels and fish out of coconut fronds. Adrienne Sylva, 11, said she enjoyed the puppet show and listening to the instruments especially the flute and the bamboo. She said if she could, she would have told the boy to listen to his elders and "wait until you get married," to look at girls.

By the end of summer the Hakipu'u students will have performed the program every weekday for eight weeks, going to a different park and doing up to four performances. Jordan Moors, 13, said he enjoys getting up in front of the audience and sharing his culture with other students. But what he likes most is helping children make the pinwheels.

"When you make the pinwheel, it prepares you to be a teacher," Jordan said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.