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Kiope Pond – restoration success

(Photo courtesy of Daughters of Hawaii)

MEDIA RELEASE

In March 2011, Kailua-Kona sustained extensive damage from the Tohoku earthquake originating from the Pacific coast of Japan.

Unfortunately it was no exception for Hulihee Palace.

The palace basement flooded, the Kuhio building (where the gift shop is located) and the caretaker’s hale also sustained damage.

Kiope Pond, a sacred pond built with lava rock and coral mortar that once served as a bathhouse for the royal families, also sustained significant damage from roaring tides.

The Daughters of Hawaii took immediate action by making plans to restore the sacred pond. However, because of the lack of funding, it took months before work on the pond would begin.

On July 30, 2012, Big Island Landscaping began work on the pond.

Kimo Kaiawe, owner of the company and cultural practitioner of masonry, used traditional methods to restore the pond, and with an eye for design, meticulously pieced the rocks together like a puzzle.

In just two weeks, the wall was repaired making the restoration a complete success.

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