I clicked over to the thread on that other forum. Read a bit about the land transactions…
Don’t shed a tear for the family. The 4 parcels they sold, 2 to Quik and 2 to M. Thomson…almost 20 Million Dollars.
I’d a sold it too. In the right place, any business is really just a way of making payments while land banking.
A change, for sure. But if you want something to mourn, choose something other than the family’s business…
You’re correct about the land banking. It’s a great financial move. What is mourned is the change in the character of the “country”, rural Hawaii. The true Hawaii for me will always be the the North Shore from Haleiwa to Kahuku, and The leeward side from Wainae to Makaha. I’ve lived both places. The local people, and thier ALOHA is what made it so special. a truely rich cultural experience. I don’t think Quicksilver brings that to the table. Therein lies the loss.
Howzit Benny, Do you mean the kammies sold the property, I was under the impression they leased the store from some one else. Never read or heard anything about that, can you post the link to the post on the other website. Would love to read it.Aloha,Kokua
You’re right about Mr. Kam, he was the master of the “stink eye”. Every now and then you could get a smile out of him though. Mrs. Kam was always the more friendly of the two, at least to me. I just enjoyed them as part of the “Hawaiian Experience”. Since you drove out from Ewa, did you drive Kunia Rd? I always liked that drive around from Makaha. It was the “shortcut” that Buzzy Trent showed me in 1965. The view of the whitewater almost a mile out on monster swells would almost stop your heart when it came into sight on that drive. I’m sure you’ve had the same experience. Aloha.
Kokua,
You probably would go into shock not having been here lately. Seems the north shore is the place to be. Besides the usual influx of surfers here for the waves and contests, more fuel was added to the fire with movies like Blue Crush, and a few other tv series being shot here, like Lost, an MTV reality series and cancelled series North Shore. The rich have dug into the beach head with multi million dollar homes slowly pushing out mid income locals, along with their this is my beach attitude. Traffic is at a stand still from Haleiwa to Laniakea on weekends due to people wanting to see the turtles at the north end of Laniakea known as “Turtle Beach”. But still its the north shore, some things change, others don’t. You can still get a cold shave ice at Matsumoto’s or Aoki’s (if the line ain’t too long), drop by Surf N Sea to check out boards or stop at Paala Kai Bakery for a sugar fix. I’m glad the one thing that has’nt changed are the waves. Although I’m not a big wave charger, I still look forward to the small, clean days in between swells that keeps me coming back for more.
Howzit foamdust, We are seeing the same thing here on Kauai, the rich are buying the beach front property and trying to cut off access. I used to be able to walk right acroo the street to the beach but now that ex James bond has bought the property and has turned it into a circus with mutiple building I would probably be arrested going the old route to the beach. There was a time when we would go to the end of the road (haena) and fish since nobody was around except for a few local people watching the sunset. Now you can't even find a place tp park and I don't even go there any more. Just about every piece of property has been sold and huge multi millon dollar homes are being built which as we know drives up the property taxes. Used to be a new house was usually a $10,000 hicks home kit or something similar. One house near by was bought by a zillionaire soft ware magnate and he spent 1.5 million just to remodel and it's an eyesore, this is the same person who built another million dollar house just for ex president Clinton to stay in when he visited here a couple of months ago. The tourist traffic is insane and I don't know where they got their drivers licenses but it seems like the old saying ( did you get your license at Disneyland) seems appropriate these days. Almost daily confrontations between the locals and tourists at the double bridges in Wainiha . They don't care if cars at other side have been waiting for 5 mins or are already on the bridge, thay just charge across like there's nobody around. I know I've backed a few off the bridge myself when they try to come across when we are already on the bridges, gets really nasty some times but we are just trying to hold our ground and teach them a lesson about yeilding to oncoming traffic. There was a time when you could drive all the way from Hanalei to end of road and not see another car on the road. The only good thing I can say is when it's raining heavy i watch for tourist cars and if I don't see any then I know the road is flooded and the bridges are closed. As you say the waves are still the same but the crowds are a joke.Aloha,Kokua
I do not live in Hawaii, but I go there at least 2x a year if not more. I have a friend who is a enginer for H.F.D. We ( my family and myself ) or just myself have been doing the trip for going on 7 years in a row. The last one was just the end of last month for 10 days. What a trip, just the guys ( boy do I owe my wife big time ). Oh we go to Oahu he lives in Pupekea Heights. I absolutley love the Islands, I have been to Oahu, The big Island, Maui, and Kauai. But 99 % we go to Oahu. Anyways the trafic sucks, a bunch of idiots who do not know how to drive ( mostly tourists) and a bunch of shitheads out in the water hastling the locals and one of my biggest biggest pet pieve, LEAVING THEIR FUC*ING TRASH ON THE BEACH. I can not even count how many times I have said something to these morons as they are packing up and walking to their car they leave cans or styrafoam cups, wrapers and just leave shit on the beach to come back and get there stuff and throw it away. And do you know what the biggest response I hear is, " there is no trash can on the beach " can you beleive that shit. I tell them to throw it in their rental car and throw it away when they stop somewhere. Or if we go out and catch some waves and they are gone when we come back, we just pick it up. Now I do not know what this has to do with the closing of Kammies, but it is sad they are closing, I just hope what ever Quik does with it, the wonderful ALOHA spirit lives on. I just envy Kokua, and all the rest of you who live there and do your best effort to keep the spirit alive, you live in paradise, and it sounds like most of you know it and appreciate. But the waves have not changed, the crowds sure have. But hey Newport over here on the mainland gets worse every year, especially in summer. Well enjoy your paradise.
Howzit lippy, Well yesterday the tourists got a dose of the little downside of life in the Islands since we got so much rain they closed several places where the roads were flooded. Hanalei bridge was closed for almost 24 hours and any tourists who need to get to the airport were out of luck and probably really bummed but those of us who have lived here for years just take it for granted that this happens several times a year and just enjoy the fact that the north shore is basically empty of tourists. Oahu really got the brunt of the storm with thunder and lightning and lots of flooding. Actually Haena was not to rainy and I was able to go to work like any other day. This morning the sun is shining and it looks to be a beautiful day, but I’m sure the water is real ugly from the run off and the honey wagons will be out in force.Aloha,Kokua
No mo Kammie’s store
awe what you gonna say
I don Know Oahu
like you do
But
I been to mana.
Ova hea
all the name stores
slowly goin away
the list is long
and I’m gonna miss some
and the order,well
I’m gonna skip arround
Maxi’s gas stn and the Kuboyama hotel
they wasnt stores but they was swell
there was Wailua market
like the rest they get em all
the people went and stop
and then go
In kapaa town there mighta been twenty
here goes and we’ll start with mrs hee
and the manapua store in waipouli
then accross the bridge after Kodani service
Pono theatre then sharon’s saimin
kawamotos hardware sold schwinn bike
the egg stand only on wednesday?
Kuhio market was up there
and Nakamura market too
then Okada store and Yukimura hardware
you know the comic book store
and the one with some stairs
Akutagawa Store I almost forgot
betty’s Inn was the Blue Lei
a notorious spot
Anderson had a revolutionary grocery
a little known fact
and shido store had da fabric
he’d drive to the hotel an’ bring you back
the REAL Olympic Cafe and the family inside
The Kau Kau corner
was history ,eat an watch
Kapaa pass on parade
the Ocean view Bar
homoginising all cultures
Good food an beer Raymond Souza
am I right?
TOGIGAWA STORE was an Icon
and the ‘penny man’s’ hours on and on
cross the bridge named for Mo’ikeha
and the old fire station location
accross the post office
a perfect relation
kogima’s still there
but not Morita service
not even a hint is left
of that tiny institution
roll up the highway and then out o’ town
Joe at The Kealia gas station
Jus one pump and he never did frown
his furrowed brow was genuine concern
though dialisis wore him down
and Raymon Duarte took it over
yes for detailing was the order
of course kealia store and the pos office still dea
The History of Anhola and Hamamura Store
Robert and Mrs. and ohana all aroun
gone but not for gotten
the manapua store in Eleele camp
andfor that matter
the store in every camp,
plantation camp stores
making a Com-unity was required
like a pot in a Kiln the human amalgum was fired
the people who ate together
understand
one another and catch glimpses of soul
through the windows of the eyes.
as neighboors pass by.
these circumstances will
Never adequately be replaced
by averted gazes at the foodland
or safeway or star or big save
these are the ways we go
who knows
when these are gone too
we may miss somthing of them
to all those I missed ,Ching Ma Leong
Ching Store ,and Michael Alanolan’s Mom’s at Wainiha
like the stars in the heavens that still
twinkle Yet long after ‘No stay’
in the mind they
will not go away
close eyes an dream
this place isn’t
what it may seem.
…ambrose…
melody suggestion/ for this broken lyric?
thus spoke Zarathusdra?
Whats Straus got to do with it?
maybe 2001 space oddessy
playing at the Roxy.
melody suggestion/ for this broken lyric?
thus spoke Zarathusdra?
Gabor Zabo right?
used to listen to him and George Benson (before he started singing) in the day.
In the end though
life is nothing but a set of memories good and bad…
but mostly good…
when I read 'and in the end"
my monkey mind
quick filled in
before I could read further
'The love you take
is equal to the love
you make.’
lennon sang it,
did he write it?
Strauss did it first
am i nuts?
gabor riffed on the classic piece
what would google say?
I’ll check
…ambrose…
Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra or Thus Spake Zarathustra) is a book started in 1885 by GermanphilosopherFriedrich Nietzsche; it is arguably one of the most famous books in philosophy. The book was originally written as three separate volumes over a period of several years. Later, Nietzsche decided to write another three volumes but only managed to write a fourth (although it is said by his sister, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, that the notes to the fifth and sixth parts exist in her introduction of the text and were in her possession at that time). After Nietzsche’s death, it was printed asa single volume.
Also sprach Zarathustra Op.30 [1896
a tone poem based on metaphysical poet fred, Fredreich Nietzsche’s
{the nitche’s} book and the prophet-figure he distantly based on the ancient Persian mystic
philosopher Zoroaster,
this fred book has been the point of departure for
everything fom nazi’s to 2001 space oddessy and some group called delicatessen: Delicatessen was formed in Cologne, Germany in 1999. They recorded their first album Deface the Music in 2000 in the middle of an oil refinery in Dusseldorf, surrounded by hissing, smoke and fire.
They reflect this heavy industrial environment in production-line tracks which characterise their work. Their sparse style, based on repeated rhythmic figures and simple harmonies, was employed as the basis of more hypnotic compositions on 2001’s Space Cowboy…ALBUM 1
DEFACE THE MUSIC
made 24 june 2000 at 58 pinner road, harrow
SADO: Thou goest to women? Remember thy whip! (Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra)
Oily Kroips pandora what a box
oh I just remembered Deo Dato wasn’t he the guy that did it too?
Central to Zarathustra is the notion that human beings are a transitional form between apes and what Nietzsche called the Übermensch
, literally “over-person,” usually translated as “superman” or more literally “overman”. The name is one of the many puns in the book and refers most clearly to the image of the sun coming over the horizon at dawn as well as the basic notion of overcoming.
Also sprach Zarathustra is also the title of a symphonic poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by the book. It is best known for its use in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey
(which is postulated to have also been inspired by the book, at least in part). The opening “Dawn” section is used three times, most famously in the opening title sequence.
Since being popularized by its use in the movie, the “Dawn” section has been used as the entrance music for singer Elvis Presley and professional wrestling star Ric Flair
Eumir Deodato
had a worldwide popular hit in 1972 with a funk arrangement of the piece.
http://fing.untitledi.com/Audio.htm
Talk abouot a re d Herring!!!
ah but I lernt somthing…
nitche invented Superman…?
looks like BK’s got it now…
As I sit out in my office this morning looking at the lights on the ultra exclusive cruise ship “the World” parked in front of my window, two stories from yesterday’s newspaper caught my eye because while we bitch and moan here about things like foam and resin we tend to forget something that Greg Loehr said in one of his foam posts… that in the grand scheme of things surfing and the surf industry is meaningless to the rest of the industrial/capatilistic complex. It’s simply a distraction.
Just remember as you find the perfect foam and resin to make your perfect board one day soon you’ll wake up to find you don’t have any place to use it… Much less park your “green” auto to find a place to use your “almost like PuPe board”
Take my word the northshore as we think we know it will be gone before I die as will most of the other breaks and undeveloped parking lots inf ront of the breaks we know of today. Too bad John Kelly’s gone senile the only leadership in the surfing is only looking at putting more dollars in their pocket, no different thatthe politicians. Too bad they can’t compete with multi-billion dollar entities like Oaktree Capital or those super rich tudor-type mansion owners in Hokuli’i on the big island.
Turtle Bay planning five hotels, 3,500 rooms
Developers of the Turtle Bay Resort yesterday outlined plans for five new hotels with 3,500 rooms and condominium units that would transform the area.
Officials with the Kuilima Resort Company said they plan:
Two hotels with a maximum total of 900 rooms to be built at Kawela Bay, a secluded cove adjacent to Turtle Bay;
A hotel on each side of the existing Turtle Bay Resort;
A fifth hotel near Kahuku Point.
The current resort has one hotel, fewer than 500 units, and two golf courses.
The new development would include four public parks and expanded public access to beaches.
Until yesterday, resort officials had remained tight-lipped about expansion plans, which are based on a “unilateral agreement” hashed out two decades ago by developers, the city, the state, and members of the North Shore community. The resort is owned by a multibillion-dollar investment company, Oaktree Capital Management.
The original agreement outlined a three-phase development, but officials yesterday said their plan is to develop the area all at once. The project still must receive city permits to go forward.
To gain the zoning changes necessary to expand the resort, developers in 1986 agreed to numerous conditions and amenities to make the deal more acceptable to the community.
The expansion of the 880-acre property, as envisioned 20 years ago, never occurred because of the financial struggles of the Japanese company that owned the resort at the time.
The unilateral agreement, however, has no cutoff date, and remains in effect
State high court clears way for settlement of Hokuli’a suit
The state Supreme Court yesterday sent the lawsuit over the stalled Hokuli’a luxury home development back to the Kona judge who stopped the project, setting the stage for a possible settlement of the case.
In an order filed yesterday afternoon, the Supreme Court ordered the developer and the opponents of the project to file a request with Judge Ronald Ibarra within one month that he vacate or modify his judgment as part of a proposed settlement.
Ibarra, the judge who halted the controversial project 30 months ago, already has signaled that he is “inclined” to modify his original ruling to allow a settlement that would restart the project and allow work to resume on the Mamalahoa Highway bypass road.
Public frustration at clogged Kona roads spurred state lawmakers this year to advance a bill essentially to reverse Ibarra’s 2003 ruling that stopped construction on both the Hokuli’a subdivision and the bypass road.
The bill, which would declare the Hokuli’a project and others like it to be legal, was approved by House lawmakers yesterday. The measure now goes to the state Senate for consideration.
Participants in the Hokuli’a lawsuit acknowledge the bill advanced by state lawmakers helped speed settlement negotiations.
Critics of Hokuli’a, including the Protect Keopuka 'Ohana, sued in 2000 to stop the project, alleging among other things that developer 1250 Oceanside Partners violated state law governing the use of agricultural lands.
Ibarra ordered construction halted on the 1,550-acre project in 2003 after ruling that Hokuli’a actually was an urban-type development being illegally built on agricultural lands.
He ruled that the developer should have asked the state Land Use Commission to reclassify the land for urban development before work began, and ordered that all work stop until the Land Use Commission either reclassifies the land or declares Hokuli’a a legal use of agricultural lands.
A motion was filed with the state Supreme Court last week asking the justices to send the Hokuli’a case back to Ibarra to allow the judge an opportunity to vacate most of his 2003 judgement as part of a settlement.
Ibarra indicated in a filing at the Supreme Court on Friday that he is inclined to grant a motion to partially vacate his judgment with the exception of a pending appeal over county and state handling of runoff from the project that Ibarra ruled affected coastal water quality.
People close to the settlement talks declined to discuss them for fear of undermining the negotiations, but have said the tentative agreement is similar to an offer made last year by the developer that included a pledge to build up to 168 affordable homes.
The developer also offered to contribute $2 million over five years to a nonprofit community benefit foundation.
The economics speak for themselves how much income and tax dollars will surfing bring to the state versus another mega-destination resort like Waikiki where turtle bay stands today. Like my economist P. Brewbaker stated in his latest report, we will run out of liveable land on Oahu before the mainland runs out of rich baby boomers looking to buy their little piece of paradise. And those transplants that speak up against it make sure that you aren’t someone who came here in the last 50 years and did the exact same thing only at a different time and aren’t just protecting “your piece of the pie” from others looking for the same opportunity.
Even here in drug-infested scummy Ewa Beach, Haseko hires Ernie Els to pitch their ultra exclusive private golf course that will invade the surf park and the Hawaii-Kai like marina they’re building that will destroy many 'secret" breaks along the coast between Oneula/Haubush and Barbers Point.
Meanwhile we Hawaiians are fighting among ourselves about some bones someone stole… But that’s about money too…
All this talk about Hawaii, the Hawaiian culture, whining about how screwed up the Islands have become. Over- population, greed, violence, drugs, where’s the aloha, brah? etc. Geeeeezz
Why not take a clue from your ancestors? Why not do as the ancient Polynesians did: sail away to a better island.
Howzit Bruce, When Arioshoji (spelling) was Govenor he wanted to put a limit on the number of people living in Hawaii but it never would pass in the state legislature, to bad they didn’t realize what was in store for the islands then. Aloha,Kokua
Howzit Bruce, When Arioshoji (spelling) was Govenor he wanted to put a limit on the number of people living in Hawaii but it never would pass in the state legislature, to bad they didn’t realize what was in store for the islands then. Aloha,Kokua
I think this is an issue that no one seems to want to talk about but will eventually bite us in the ass one day. There is only a limited amount of real estate on an island and right now the big issue is landfills and where to put it. So where do you put all the people? All those new developments on the ewa plains has created a traffic jam of epic proportions. I remember when no one really wanted to live there and it was a short drive into ewa. 2nd city Kapolei already has major traffic jams and they have just begun to develop.
I’m not whining but hopefully just painting a picture of what will happen here in the next decade cause no matter what the local folks think, it’s going to happen one way or another, just like the judge who thought he stopped Hokulii, only to have the legislature reverse his decision due to all the million dollar crybabies who bought homes out there and threaten to sue.
The major whining will come from everyone later after it’s all built and the real impact is actually felt but by then it’ll be too late. just like what happened here in West Oahu home of the second city(now where’s that?).
everyone who has the ability to will pack up and split and those of us left behind will just pick up the pieces and start all over again.
And believe me there’s alot of aloha here for now.
I’ll die living the code of my ancestors.
I hope some folks here know I’d be the first to give the shirt off my back as needed.
But we’ll have to see how it holds out as everyone not worth multi-millions eventually gets forced off island due to all the rich retirees who want to come here and make Hawaii their own little safe haven paradise.
Kokua knows
for Kauai has it the worst(as far as rich outsiders driving the working locals out) as does Maui and Oahu won’t be far behind. You only can work so many parttime extra jobs and squeeze so many family members under on roof before the formula doesn’t work anymore. Affordable rentals are gone and property taxes won’t drop as expected they’ll just put everyone on a “plan” to make payments so the monies can still be collected for the counties. Look at how the State wants to pass legislation to hold onto all the surplus for their “rainy day fund” instead of returning it to the tax payors as mandated by current law.
It was all just an observation how most of the surfing community in general has got their heads up their a**es always fretting about their little silly pasttime when the community/world around them is slowly falling apart. Peter Cole, Marc Cunnigham and Carol Phillips have already spoken up against it but at the same time the working class Laie/Kahuku locals seem for it. The project was approved 20 years ago and it was the hidden gem that the investment group sought when they purchased the distressed property. 3500 rooms is a lot of hotel room tax dollars and 5 new hotels provides alot of jobs especially with BYUH just down the street.
Just look at the Koolina resorts and what Campbell Estate and the Marriott timeshares are doing out here. The working community loves it although shoreline access is being taken away bit by bit. Put up a beach umbrella on the sand at one of the tidal pool beaches at Koolina’s “public beaches” and see how fast the “beach patrol” slaps your head to take it down and kicks you out.
Things change they always do.
I don’t think what foam or resin we use will matter in the end, cause like what happened to Grubby being forced out, as development moves in, zoning wiil force out the board building industry out of the country to some industrial park in Mililani, Kapolei or Pearl City and even those lands are being converted for residential development. Industrial zoned land will be hard to come by.
I’d sail away for sure, but it’s kind of my job to help make sure that this all comes true to keep my clients and future clients happy and prosperous… The irony of it all…
Iggy Pop said it best: No fun.
But could there actually be a silver lining in the fact that surfing is so effing huge these days? I mean, I typically loathe the hugeness of surfing and yearn for mellower times, even in my relatively quiet surfing grounds. But if there’s a whole snotload of surfers (like there are these days), maybe they can counter the interests of the non-surfers (developers, tourists, drunk golfers, etc.)? At least lobby for access and stuff like that?
Maybe quik did a good thing buying Kam’s? Stake a claim for the surfing world? Make sure that spot isn’t developed into something even lamer?
This is kind of a 180 for me, and I realize it only addresses surfing versus non-surfing interests and doesn’t have much to do with the survival of the spirit and culture of the island versus massive development (from both surfing and non-surfing sources). On that front, my heart goes out to you guys! I hope the predictions of haole blight are just plain wrong.
Like my economist P. Brewbaler stated in his latest report, we will run out of liveable land on Oahu before the mainland runs out of rich baby boomers looking to buy their little piece of paradise. And those transplants that speak up against it make sure that you aren’t someone who came here in the last 50 years and did the exact same thing only at a different time and aren’t just protecting “your piece of the pie” from others looking for the same opportunity
Thoughtful as always…
I’ll not respond to the mainland rich baby boomer comment other than to say that’s a very relative observation and a very easy target - they aren’t the ones destroying Hawaii and every other place on earth. Somebody else is buying the land from somebody else and developing it - maybe 90% or more? Specifics don’t matter on that - the gist is that the real villians are taking the money and the visible consumer (for lack of a better word) is getting the label…when in fact if they are retiring to the islands they are doing so for the same reasons local lament the changes…because they love the place.
Yes, there is nothing worse than a NIMBY. That’s a fairly fine balancing line for someone to tread. The thing is, a lot of transplants have already been through this same situation wherever they came from, and therefore are experienced and can make very valuable allies to fight off the worst of senseless development. And who are the one group of people other than locals who most want to see Hawaii remain virtually unchanged? Visitors! Visitors are a huge population of people and potential finanacial support that generally gather the most scorn.
Rip off a tourist rental car to score meth…punch out a haole surfer guy you don’t know…the victims of those crimes will have little reason to give a rat’s ass about what happens to the local people. Big fortified hotels and condos will be more appealing to them, not less. The politics of inclusion would be most helpful to local people everywhere, potentially the best form on globalization.
Sadly, surfing is not a figurehead activity in that regard.
Matsumotos Shave Ice is still there. I just got back a couple weeks ago from the North Shore. My first stop was for some shaved ice.