Midweek

August 2008

In an effort to record the history of the east coast of Oahu while sharing it with the public, Hawaii Kai resident Ann Marie Kirk has pieced together a website that chronicles historical places in the region.

The website, www.maunalua.net, features videos of residents sharing their tales of the land, historical photos and accounts of places like Makapu’u, Waimanalo and Portlock.

“I think it’s important that people know about the history and people of the area,” said Kirk, an award-winning documentary filmmaker. “It’s been something that’s been on my mind for a really long time because I realized that people don’t really know the history of East Oahu.”

By creating the site, she hopes to help the community - as well as developers - understand where it came from.

One video highlights May Kamai’s experience fishing by Rabbit Island when she was a little girl. She speaks of her close relationship with the sharks and how to interact with them. Elsewhere on the website are early photos of the area when it was a fish farm,

“The site is continually growing,” said Kirk, who works as a producer with the state DOE’s Teleschool branch. “I think it’s a real community site, and my goal is to get bigger with more community stories and with more historical information.”

She invites people to contact her with their recollections of the area at huimaunalua@maunalua.net.
“I hope people will want to continue to share stories and photos and to keep checking back because it’s going to continue to grow.”