CULTURAL SCAVENGER HUNT OFFERS RECREATIONAL WAY TO LEARN ABOUT FAMOUS PLACES IN KO‘OLAUPOKO
A novel way to teach communities about historic sites has been initiated by the Ko`olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, which is inviting teams to compete in a cultural scavenger hunt March 17th in Windward O‘ahu.
“Legendary Places of Ko‘olaupoko” is the theme of the event, which involves teams that receive clues and are sent out to locate and document their visit to famous places from Kualoa to Maunalua, all of which are found in ahupua‘a within the traditional moku (district) of Ko‘olaupoko. The event is part of Celebrate Ko‘olaupoko!, a year-long series of events dedicated to honoring the ahupua‘a of Windward O‘ahu.
“We are excited about this opportunity to raise awareness of some of our important places that were recognized and honored by the Hawaiian people in centuries past,” says Kimi Apiki, chair of the event. “Every ahupua‘a has special places that were important in our culture or our history, and we are pleased to be able to share knowledge about some of these places with our community.”
The deadline for submitting entry forms is March 9, 2012, Apiki says. Grand prize for each of the team categories is $1,000.
The contest will involve two categories: high school and community teams, each of which can have up to 4 members on the team (high school teams must also have an adult driver). The entry fee for community teams is $250. For high school teams, corporate sponsors are being sought for the $500 entry fee. Several local businesses have already offered to sponsor high school teams that may be interested in competing.
Teams will compete to see how many wahi pana they have visited in a four-hour time period on Saturday, March 17th, starting and finishing at Windward Mall, Apiki says.
“They need to show that they have visited the site, take a picture, and answer questions about the wahi pana,” she explains.
Teams will be loaned a GPS device with coordinates to the sites, and clues about the wahi pana that will help them answer questions and know what to photograph.
Upon returning to the Mall, each team’s collection of verifiable information will be scored and, for each wahi pana completed correctly, the team earns an entry blank into a grand prize drawing. Teams need to complete a minimum of four wahi pana visits correctly to qualify for the grand prize.
All drivers will receive a gas card to compensate for their travels; all participants will receive lunch when they return to Windward Mall.
For more information, email Apiki at: koolaupokoscavengerhunt@gmail.com. Forms are available on the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club’s Facebook Page, at Windward Mall, or at the civic club’s office, 46-005 Kawa Street, Suite 104, near Windward Mall.
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The Laulima A ‘Ike Pono internship program, a partnership between Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and Paepae o He’eia, is accepting applications for another round of paid community research internships at He’eia fishpond in the ahupua’a of He’eia. The internship will run from July 10 – December 15, 2012. Work hours include every Tuesday afternoon (2-6 pm) per week, and two full (8 hour) Saturdays per month. Interns work under the guidance of HIMB graduate student researchers on projects that focus on biological and geochemical processes, with the goal of helping restoration efforts in the pond. All members of the community over 17 years of age, especially those that live in the Ko’olaupoko district, are welcome to apply. Application deadline is April 20, 2012.
