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Hawaii’s Back yard Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi |
Honu honored at
Turtle Bay weekend bashA popular Hawaiian legend tells of Kauila, a honu (sea turtle) that lived in the waters off the black-sand beach of Punaluu on the Big Island. Blessed with magical powers, she could transform herself into a girl at will, which she did often to play with the village children she loved. Even today, the turtles of Punaluu are known for being tame and friendly; no coincidence, locals say, for they reflect the spirit of their progenitor, Kauila.
To the Hawaiians of old, the honu was an important means of sustenance. Because it can live 100 years, it was regarded as a symbol of good luck and longevity. The Hawaiians believed its powerful life force was passed to them when they ate its flesh. They fashioned fishhooks, bark scrapers and other tools from its bones and shell. Its skin was made into a durable leather.
Long ago, the honu also figured prominently in the religious realm. When Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the sea, needed a physical body to mingle with mortals, he is said to have taken the form of a honu. From ancient times, many islanders have worshipped the sea turtle as their aumakua, or guardian, an embodiment of their ancestors who protect them from harm and danger.
On Saturday, Oahu's Turtle Bay Resort will honor its namesake at a day-long festival featuring educational exhibits, arts and crafts demonstrations, sports competitions and Hawaiian music and dance. Sharp-eyed visitors can spot honu frolicking year-round in Turtle Bay, which fronts the hotel.
"You can see them most often 'surfing' in the waves or feeding along the shoreline by our beach cottages," says Elizabeth Fitzgerald, the resort's director of special events and public relations, who is spearheading this year's Honu Festival.
"You also can spot them while you're walking along the beachfront trails within the resort."
According to Fitzgerald, the Honu Festival was conceived and developed by the Care Committee, a group of 20 hotel employees who work throughout the year to brainstorm, organize and assist with community functions and resort gatherings.
This is the second year Turtle Bay Resort is sponsoring the event.
Highlights include displays by Sea Life Park and Save the Sea Turtles International Public Foundation, a Haleiwa-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving all six endangered and threatened sea turtle species through education of marine conservation issues.
There will also be honu-themed art, crafts, jewelry and aloha wear; ono food such as malasadas, huli huli-style chicken and grilled Kahuku prawn kebobs; and a marketplace brimming with tomatoes, asparagus, corn and other blue-ribbon produce grown on the North Shore.
TURTLE BAY RESORT
The Turtle Bay Resort honors its namesake during an all-day Honu Festival Saturday featuring educational displays about the endangered marine animal, in addition to the usual roster of crafts, food and entertainment.
Hawaiian 105 KINE radio station will host a stellar lineup of entertainment that starts with a 5-8:30 a.m. live broadcast of its "Aloha Morning Show" tomorrow at the resort. Hosted by Brickwood Galuteria and Frank B. Shaner, there will be prize giveaways, interviews with special guests and plenty of great Hawaiian music.
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, musicians will stroll throughout the resort, delighting spectators with their renditions of favorite island songs. The Honu Festival Concert, starring the legendary Aunty Genoa Keawe, follows from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Seatide Room. Tickets are $10.
Turtle Bay Resort will also serve as the stunning backdrop for the Honu Races -- 5K and 10K runs and a mountain bike race -- on Saturday and a duathlon, a combination run and bike race, on Sunday. Runners will traverse terrain that varies from gravel roads to single-track trails to sand. The mountain bike course will be a flat, fast-circuit course. A portion of the proceeds from these races will benefit Juvenile Diabetes of Hawaii.
The North Shore Lifeguard Association's 13th annual Summer Solstice Paddleboard Race is expected to be another big Honu Festival hit.
The 4.5-mile race will begin at Turtle Bay Resort and finish at Sunset Beach. Men's divisions range from age 19 and younger to Grand Masters age 50 and older.
All female participants will compete in one women's division.
Fitzgerald promises fun for the whole family. "Business people, artists and entertainers on the North Shore pull together to throw a big party -- and everyone is invited!"
She hopes the festival will draw attendees islandwide. "Turtle Bay has just completed an extensive $60 million renovation," she says. "So much has changed here during the past year and a half, and the Honu Festival is a wonderful opportunity for us to show everyone what's new. It's our way of celebrating what Turtle Bay and the North Shore have to offer: fabulous food and produce, a close-knit community and a coastline that's the most magnificent on Oahu.
"Many kamaaina consider the North Shore as 'country,' and it really is peaceful and beautiful here -- a whole different world from the hubbub of Honolulu."
Honu Festival
Place: Turtle Bay Resort, 57-091 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, HI 96731
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
Admission: Free
Phone: 293-8811 (ask for the Special Events hot line)
Races: You can register for the 5K ($25) and 10K ($35) runs, mountain bike race ($35) and duathlon (individual: $70, relay: $90) by calling 596-8844. On Saturday, entries for the runs and bike race will be accepted until 7 a.m. (add $15 to the above fees); the races start a half-hour later. Same-day registration for Sunday's duathlon closes at 7 a.m.; the race starts at 8 a.m. Enter the Summer Solstice Paddleboard Race by calling 638-8297. Fees are $20 in advance, $25 on Saturday. Same-day registration begins at 9 a.m.; the race starts at 11 a.m.
Kamaaina Paradise Package: Through June 30, Hawaii residents can enjoy a Turtle Bay Resort stay at a rate of $245 per night, double occupancy, including deluxe ocean-view accommodations; a $40 daily dining credit per room; and room taxes and resort service fees. Turtle Bay boasts 36 holes of championship golf (at the Fazio and Palmer courses), a new spa and fitness center, two oceanside pools, a surf school, horseback riding, a tennis center and 12 miles of oceanfront hiking trails.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based free-lance writer
and Society of American Travel Writers award winner.
