HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.207         
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                     HOUSE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  URGING THE DIVISION OF STATE PARKS TO CONDUCT A FEASIBILITY
    STUDY TO IMPROVE THE POTENTIAL OF KUKANILOKO BIRTHSTONES
    AS A POTENTIAL CULTURAL TOURISM SITE.
 


 1        WHEREAS, Kukaniloko is a celebrated place set aside for
 2   the birth of high ranking chiefs and chiefesses, and is located
 3   in the central plains of Oahu, lying north of Wahiawa town, and
 4   reached by a dirt road approximately one thousand feet long
 5   heading west from the major intersection of Kamehameha Highway
 6   and Whitmore Road; and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, the Kukaniloko concentration of stones is now the
 9   only tangible remains of what was once a larger religious
10   complex which once included the Waihau Heiau of Ho`olono-pahu,
11   a site to house the sacred drums that announced the birth of a
12   chiefly child; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, the present site was set aside and fenced by
15   Mr. W. Goodale of the Wahiawa Agricultural Company, probably by
16   1909 and the Daughters of Hawaii acquired the site in 1925 upon
17   the urging of Mr. Goodale, and they maintained jurisdiction
18   over this parcel until 1951 when ownership reverted to the
19   Galbraith Estate and the Wahiawa Civic Clubs assumed
20   responsibility for the stones; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, the association of the remaining boulders with
23   ceremonial events continues to be reconfirmed and commemorated
24   by Hawaiians who visit the site and occasionally leave
25   offerings; and
26   
27        WHEREAS, the Kukaniloko site of four and a half acres is
28   owned by the State of Hawaii and currently protected and
29   managed by the Division of State Parks, Department of Land and
30   Natural Resources; and
31   
32        WHEREAS, the site is on the National Register of Historic
33   Places as well as the Hawaii Register of Historic Places; and
34   

 
Page 2                                                     
                                  H.C.R. NO.207         
                                                        
                                                        


 1        WHEREAS, the easement which leads to the site is owned by
 2   the Galbraith Estate and the State has permanent access, but
 3   the entrance and exit to this site has a dirt slope which
 4   erodes into a deeper pit when it rains making it more difficult
 5   for cars to enter and exit; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, there are students and tourists who visit the
 8   site but due to the condition of the easement, school buses
 9   must park on the highway, which is hazardous for the children
10   and tour buses cannot enter into the area; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, given the current stagnant economy, the State of
13   Hawaii cannot afford to create impediments to tourist sites
14   that might turn assets into liabilities; now, therefore,
15   
16        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
17   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
18   of 1999, the Senate concurring, that the Division of State
19   Parks of the Department of Land and Natural Resources is urged
20   to conduct a feasibility study to consider the kinds of
21   improvements that must be made to the Kukaniloko historic site
22   near Wahiawa, including the following concerns:
23   
24        (1)  Improving the easement to the site;
25   
26        (2)  Working in collaboration with the trustees of the
27             Galbraith Estate to develop the potential cultural
28             tourism enhancement of the Kukaniloko Birthstones;
29   
30        (3)  Developing other inducements to enhance safe,
31             informative, visits to the site by school children
32             and tourists; and
33   
34        (4)  Other objectives which will encourage visitors to
35             respect the sanctity of the historic site to preserve
36             it for posterity;
37   
38   and
39   
40        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Division of State Parks,
41   Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to report
42   findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than
43   twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of
44   2000; and 
45   

 
 
Page 3                                                     
                                  H.C.R. NO.207         
                                                        
                                                        


 1        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 2   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the
 3   Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Administrator of the
 4   State Parks Division, and the trustees of the Galbraith Estate.
 5 
 6 
 7 
 8                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________