In the Mauna Lani Development, there is a bay called Makaiwa Bay that is predominantly occupied by foreigners. One day while walking with my Papa, I stumbled upon a lady who felt very entitled to the land simply because she was a "snowbird" that lived in a house near the shoreline. She told my Papa and I that we were intruding on the land that was a "federal reserve" and that us (outsiders) did not have a right to fish along the shoreline. I calmly replied to the lady before me and told her I was also a resident of Mauna Lani and that the land we are on is not a federal reserve. However, I was very bothered by what she told my Papa and I that day so I started doing research on shoreline access laws. I started to research about the shoreline laws and then I thought to myself, "Why are there more foreigners at Makaiwa Bay?" "Why were my Papa and I the only Native Hawaiians there that day?"

In order for me to answer these questions, I had to do a deep dive into shoreline access. I discovered that the shoreline access trail to Makaiwa Bay is about 1.2 miles each way to and from the parking lot. The parking lot also has a limited amount of parking stalls so what happens if that is full? In the law it states that there needs to be "reasonable" access to the shoreline, however, that only applies to the general public. What if there are Native Hawaiians who want to continue their cultural practices in the area? How do they access a Bay when there's a limited amount of parking spaces for them? How will their Kūpuna walk a hilly lava trail for 2 miles? Thus, the development of my project for easier access to the shoreline begins.

My original plan for this project was to create a website that's linked to a petition in order to make shoreline access easier for the Native Hawaiian Community by opening up the gates above the Napua Restaurant. However, as my project developed, I realized that shoreline access is something that could be easily taken advantage of and mismanaged. I've created this website to educate people on shoreline access laws but also to speak about how the Native Hawaiian community respects places and self-regulates the land before us. I've realized that there are tons of foreigners who are misinformed like the lady that came up to us that day and through this website, I hope to change that.

Photo to the Right:

My Papa with a Tako he caught that day.

Kuhao Zane shared with me his knowledge of website building. He taught me to ask tough questions to myself such as "How do you educate people on sensitive topics through design? What components should be considered when creating a website?" He also taught me to add a layer of authenticity to my project which has been an important component of my website.

Uncle Danny Akaka taught me the importance of a "Wahi Pana" (sacred place, a place of great importance) and he taught me what the true essence of culture is. He also took me on a tour of the ponds and shared some information I did not know before I met with him. For example, did you know that the guards of the Makaha gates used to tell which direction the water was flowing by sticking their toe in the water? So cool!