Separated from Honolulu by the formidable Pali, Kailua has always been viewed as a place apart from the downtown core, divided by geography and temperament, city versus country, the urban life versus the beach life.

Maile Meyer remembers, “;Once you were in the country, you didn't leave. When we left school for summer, we'd cry and write our friends (in Honolulu) letters from Kailua. I'm not kidding, because we wouldn't see each other again until fall. And I'm not that old!”;

Kailua is now a subject of a collector-quality book underwritten by the Harold K. L. Castle Foundation with the intention that all proceeds benefit the Kailua Historical Society and its educational programs.

Meyer credits Barbara Pope, a designer and veteran of many award-winning publications, with being the driving force behind the book. “;She conceptualized it because she lives in Kailua and wanted to interpret the place. She wanted people from Kailua, and those coming and going, to have a deeper, broader vision of what Kailua is.

“;Unless their knowledge is rooted in something older, people don't really know Kailua,”; Meyer said. “;There's a lot of things I don't know, which is ridiculously embarrassing because all my family is from Kailua.”;

To create the book, several writers contributed chapters with topics ranging from the geography that separated Kailua from Honolulu, to legends surrounding the area, Kailua's emergence as an agricultural town and place of dreams to would-be copra and rice farmers and dairymen, to its postwar evolution as a residential community.

“;Projects like this are not easy, and change in Kailua has been constant,”; said Pope. “;It's hard to have the opportunity to stop and look backward.”;

She emphasizes the book was a community-driven labor of love, with contributing authors and photographers representing multiple generations and ethnic groups, as well as those in the community who were willing to be interviewed, sharing maps and personal photographs.

TO MANY TODAY, Kailua appears to be a fledgling version of Kahala thanks to beachfront estates that command millions of dollars, with a ripple effect that has made real estate there some of the priciest in the state, attracting business dollars that can be seen in the re-imagining of the town center as befitting an upscale resort town. Just as the book is to have its launch, long-standing buildings at the town's entry are being demolished to make way for a Whole Foods Market, and the book comes at a time many are feeling the effects of displacement and uncertainty over changes. Many involved with the project feel it opens a necessary dialogue.

One of the project's writers, Maya Saffery, said that after growing up in Maunawili, looking at the twin peaks of Olomana, she began researching its history in the course of her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Hawaii, with the intention of integrating that knowledge through her post as a curriculum specialist at the Kamakauokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH.

“;It was about what stories from my ancestors and kupuna who lived there had to say about these significant places, and what key lessons can we learn from these stories that we can apply today.

“;I definitely see people who just see the paradise of it, and Kailua's a beautiful place to play. That's why people live here and move here, but that's just on the surface. Kailua has a rich history, and it's more than nice beaches and good restaurants. I don't want these stories to be lost.

“;I feel a familial connection and responsibility to Kailua. I think it's important to understand what the landscape looked like before and how our ancestors took care of it, and to be mindful of the impacts we've made over the years and be aware of the consequences. Were the changes necessary, and could we have done anything differently?”;

That is not to say there is one direction that would please all.

Saffery said, “;The answer is different for everybody. People have different interests and agendas, but it's important to bring people together because we're all here. Sometimes we're not going to agree, but it's important to have these conversations and have our opinions known.”;

Some might not know Kailua's history, but they can see what's going on and feel uncomfortable about it.

“;There are a lot of great things happening, and education is important. When people are educated, they're more interested in getting involved and taking responsibility for where they live,”; Saffery said.

PAUL BRENNAN, who wrote or contributed to 11 chapters of the book, had been collecting information on Kailua ever since he moved into the area.

“;I started 26 years ago, never intending to write a book,”; he said. “;I moved from Papua New Guinea as an anthropologist interested in where we were living. I always had a curious nature and met interesting elders of the attitude, 'You really want to know?'

“;I kept going back and asking more questions, and they began to realize I was serious about it. In my affirmation of them, they were able to express more and became proud that what they had to share was important,”; he said. “;It was a privilege to begin with oral information but also the archaeology that gave me a deeper insight into the Hawaiian presence—how long they were here and what they were doing here.”;

Change of the landscape began with the arrival of the Hawaiians. Core samples of sediment reveal burning of forests for construction of loi for raising taro. Change came even more quickly in the late 1800s, with the arrival of large herds of cattle and horses in Maunawili valley, as well as Chinese-run rice mills. In 1909, Albert and Fred Waterhouse leased 200 acres of land from J.B. Castle, leveling sand dunes to plant coconut trees, which gave the Coconut Grove area its nickname.

Arthur Rice and Harold Castle started the earliest dairies in the area around 1910, with the center of operations set where Oneawa and Kaha streets intersect today.

The community changed again when developers began to see more potential in residences than agriculture.

Brennan said, “;I'm fortunate that I live in this area that afforded me not only a residence, but a laboratory for research. It's never died, and I never got paid for it. It went far beyond a contract. It was an obligation I had to fulfill. As long as I live, I will continue to do research.

“;Before, it was monologue. Now it's a dialogue. The book has allowed many people to add their voices to the story.

“;When people ask me the title of the book, I say, 'Kailua,' and they wait for me to add something else, and they ask, 'That's all?'

“;I think the title reflects what it's all about. That's the way it's been. Kailua has never majorly been on the map. It was just Kailua, simple, country, understated but representing many layers of influence and cultures.”;

Meyer said she also hopes the book will be a template for other communities. “;We hope it inspires people to look a little closer at where they're from.”;

Copies of the book are available at Book Ends in Kailua and the Kailua Historical Society at the Kailua Chamber of Commerce, 600 Kailua Road, Suite 107, or online at www.kailuahistoricalsociety.org.