KALAPAKI — It was about him, and it was about them. Hundreds of Kaua‘i High School students showed up at an impromptu memorial yesterday to honor one of their own, a 16-year-old from Lihu‘e who died tragically in a car
KALAPAKI — It was about him, and it was about them.
Hundreds of Kaua‘i High School students showed up at an impromptu memorial yesterday to honor one of their own, a 16-year-old from Lihu‘e who died tragically in a car accident on prom night last weekend.
There were no speeches, no plans, and most obviously, little or no adults along the breakwall fronting Kalapaki Bay.
After leaving school at 1:30 p.m., the high schoolers showed up, grouping in cliques of anywhere from four to thirty. Some held hands, others held leis or flowers, and others talked on cell phones. More just kept coming, in cars and trucks with painted windows and doors, honoring and showing their love for their fellow student.
By 2:45 p.m., nearly 50 students had paddled out on surfboards and bodyboards, leis strung around their necks. They formed a circle in the bay, just outside the breaking surf.
After about ten minutes, they tossed their leis into the bay, as many of those on the seawall tossed their flowers as well.
The memorial continued into the afternoon, as cars and kept streaming into the parking area, and others with flowers emerged to add theirs to the ocean. Even a couple of outrigger canoes got involved, with paddlers edging in near the circle.
By 3 p.m., a steady stream of flowers almost completely linked together, stretching from Ammonia’s, a favorite surfing spot just off the breakwall at Nawiliwili, to Kalapaki Beach fronting Duke’s Restaurant.
Many of the mourners stayed, meeting other friends, and watching the now-crowded line-up of surfers from the circle catch chest-high waves.
The 16-year-old boy, along with a 17-year-old Hanama‘ulu boy, were driving on Ma‘alo Road in Kapaia when their rented Chevrolet all-purpose vehicle flipped, ejecting the 16-year-old resulting in his fatal injuries.
The 17-year-old is still recovering from a broken leg.
The Kaua‘i Police Department has determined speed was a factor in the crash, but preliminary results indicate that alcohol and drugs were not involved Cyndi Mei Ozaki, county public information officer, said yesterday.
Staff writer Tom Finnegan can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226)
