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Add your commentHeavy rains flood Molokai
“Same 'ol mess we have every year, nothing new for us,” said Darrel Aia, State Highway supervisor, whose crew, along with County of Maui Public Works teams, cleared massive amounts of debris throughout the day and into the night last Thursday. Aia, who has been working highways for 26 years, said open rivers that flow across the roads during flood season make it impossible to prevent road closures.
Molokai High School, Molokai Middle School and Kualapu`u Elementary School were closed at around 1 p.m. Thursday. Kilohana Elementary School in East Molokai was reported closed by the heavy rains.
According to school officials, Kaunakakai students were stranded on their campuses when fast-flowing streams made the highway impassable.
The heavy rains also caused the state Board of Education to cancel its regular monthly meeting scheduled to be held at Molokai Middle on Thursday. The state Democratic Party also cancelled its Molokai rally that was to feature candidates Randy Iwase and Mele Carroll, as well as senators Akaka and Inouye.
Airports around the county reported periods of heavy rain with overcast or foggy conditions. Molokai and Lanai airports reported cancelled and delayed flights. Visibility was cut to less than a mile at different times of the day.
On Maui, the rough weather forced officials to cancel an air drop by a Hawaii National Guard helicopter of food and fuel to some 340 residents of the Kipahulu region who were cut off from the rest of the island after the Paihi Bridge was closed due to last month’s earthquake damage.
By Thursday afternoon on Oahu, a massive pile of muddy earth, roots, rocks and trees – three to four dozen truckloads worth – were cleared from just outside the Honolulu side of the Pali Highway tunnels that poke through the Koolau Mountains to the windward side of the island.
While no one was hurt in the landslide Wednesday, it blocked both of the town-bound lanes and part of the Kailua-bound side, snarling commuter traffic that night.
Highway officials, however, decided to keep the town-bound lanes closed Thursday because mud was continuing to flow onto the road.
The area received a total of 22 inches of rain over three days, including 8 inches within a 12 hour period, said Maureen Ballard, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
The rains, which began Monday on Kauai, are part of the start of the islands’ wet season.
“We do get rain during our wet season, of course. But of course, we don’t every year get stuff which produces landslides,” Ballard said.
Even though El Nino this year is expected to mean a drier winter for the islands, events like this week’s rains aren’t uncommon, she said.
With reporting from AP
Ag tour presents a taste of Molokai
Perhaps a testament to the Friendly Isle’s best kept secret, many more residents than tourists took the first ever Molokai agriculture tour last Saturday in conjunction with the fourth annual Molokai Chamber of Commerce Food and Business Expo. The half-day bus trip featured five unique agricultural producers, most of them local entrepreneurs.
The Nov. 4 tour brought the group of 30 to a plumeria farm, Coffees of Hawaii, L&R sweet potato farm, Ala Ekahi Salt farm and Beach Boy hydroponics farm.
With one last glance at the hulking adobe house, the group piled into the bus and left for lunch at Hotel Molokai. The day ended with the huge Food and Business Expo at Lanikeha Community Center. The building could not even fit the throngs of visitors on Saturday afternoon.
There was standing room only to watch some of the top chefs in Maui County demonstrate how to make food with fine Molokai ingredients. Local entertainment from Moana’s Hula Halau, Darrell Labrado, the Hawaiian Immersion Class and Pili Pa`a kept the crowd jumping between food demonstrations.
Booths lined the walls for visitors to sample and purchase local fare, including beeswax candles and surfboard wax by local keiki Tabitha Kaneshiro. Coffees of Hawaii was on hand with Mocha Mamas and Molokai High School art classes sold student pottery as a fundraiser.
The fourth annual event was organized by the Molokai Chamber of Commerce with help from the Maui County Office of Economic Development, Hawaiian Telecom, Maui Land and Pineapple, Maui Electric, Goodfellow Brothers, Island Air, Young Brothers Ltd. and American Savings Bank.
Tahitian Teams Rule a Windless Molokai Hoe
The victory was impressive considering the lack wind and surf conditions that normally make for a quicker race. These conditions, however, are very similar to the paddling environment in Tahiti.
Molokai was represented by two boats from team Kukui o Molokai. Both teams were comprised of the best paddlers from all of Molokai’s clubs. The first team did well placing 27th overall with a time of 5:36:34. The second team placed 78th with a time of 6:11:43.
“This year was extremely hot with barely any wind the whole time. It was very challenging both mentally and physically, but it just makes the feeling of accomplishment even sweeter” said Dan Emhof, team Kukui 2nd team. Congratulations to all of Molokai’s Paddlers.
Kukui Women Medal in the Queen’s Race
The 35th annual Queen Liliuokalani long distance race held in Kona fielded the largest entries in recent history. Of the 138 women crews, Kukui O Molokai entered three crews in the 18-mile iron division. The first crew earned a medal for third place in the open iron koa division and 43rd overall.
The distance crew consists of paddlers from three Molokai canoe clubs – Wa`akapaemua, Molokai, and Kukui O' Molokai.
“I'm very proud of our girls, they represented Molokai well,” says Coach Kekama Helm. Helm and Coach Josh Pastrana have been training the distance crew for the Na Wahine O Ke Kai Molokai Channel race which will be held on Sep. 24. Great job ladies and good luck!
(Pictured L-R, Hayley May Greenleaf, Meghan Soukup, Kai Sawyer, Paula Kakaio, Tiana Heen and Nichol Kahale)
Stampede Sweep!
Matched Barrel Racing
1) Zach Pascua ( Maui)
Open Breakaway Roping
1) Marcello Dudoit 4.1
2) MP Kamakana 5.68
MOLOKAI STAMPEDE WINNERS
#10 ROPING w/ #8 INCENTIVE
1st Go Winners
1)Marcello Dudoti & Goat Dudoit 7.7
2) Doug Pocock & MP Kamakana 8.55
3) Real Dudoit & Goat Dudoit 9.22
2nd Go Winners
1) Marcello Dudoit & Goat Dudoit 7.82
2) Doug Pocock & Rex Kamakana 10.71
3) Porky Dudoit & MP Kamakana 12.3
3rd Go Winners
1) Marcello Dudoit & Porky Dudoit 12.32
2) Marcello Dudoit & Goat Dudoit 15.52
3) Rex Kamakana & Kalapana Keliiho'omalu 15.76
4th go Winners
1) Marcello Dudoit & Porky Dudoit 9.95
# 8 Incentive Winners - Average
1) Marcello Dudoit & Porky Dudoit 54.06 seconds on 4 steers
2) Rex Kamakana & Kalapana Keliiho'omalu 54.75 on 3
3) Reyn Dudoit & Porky Dudoit 56.95 on 3 steers
#10 Roping Winner - Average
1) Marcello Dudoit & Porky Dudoit 54.06 on 4 steers
2) Marcello Dudoit & Goat Dudoit 30.95 on 3 steers
3) Rex Kamakana & Doug Pocock 43.28 on 3 steers
4) Rex Kamakana & Kalapana Keliiho'omalu 54.75 on 3 steers
5) Reyn Dudoit & Porky Dudoit 56.95 on 3 steers
HIGH POINT WINNER OF THE # 10 ROPING
1) MARCELLO DUDOIT 228 points
2) Rex Kamakana 173
3) Porky Dudoit 162
4) Goat Dudoit 123
5) Doug Pocock 114
Dutchy Kino Memorial Long Distance Classic
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Four of Molokai’s canoe clubs competed over the weekend in one of the season’s earliest distance races, the Dutchy Kino, on the south side of Maui.
Of the Molokai teams who battled it out in the calm waters and sweltering heat, it was Wa`akapaemua women’s novice A team that would bring home gold in their division, placing 17th over-all. Kukui’s open women did great as well placing 10th overall.
The men’s race opened with a sprint from Ma`alaia to the cliff-lined point two miles off the start. The Kukui open men, with Bozo Dudoit in the steersman’s seat, jockeyed for the inside line keeping at the head of the pack.
For most of the 18 -mile race, two crews from Hawaiian, followed by Kahana and Kukui battled it out for medals. “Kahana was our competitor… we went back and forth. In the end, they came in just two boat-lengths ahead of us,” said Adolph Helm who stroked for the Kukui boat. “We toned down the stroke rate a little and everyone was able to grab more. It really kept the canoe moving. In the future we need to fine tune the stroke with a little more explosiveness.” Hawaiian Canoe Club finished in the first and second spots.
Kukui’s second entry, the Boomshkys, did a respectable job arriving somewhere near the center of the pack.
Helm expressed great satisfaction in Molokai’s competing clubs. “You don’t succeed overnight, you succeed over time. It showed in the race we did over this past Saturday. It shows we can go over there an actually compete.”
The race, in its 26th year, is held in honor of local boy Keola Kino’s father, Dutchy Kino, who was well known for the many years of sacrifice to the sport of outrigger.
Race standings mentioned in this article were unofficial at time of print. Mahalo to Adolph Helm for his re-cap.
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