A place of peace and pride

It’s definitely worth the visit.

Soft tradewinds whisper gently through the trees at Kukuiolono Park, refreshing your spirit with an overwhelming sense of peace and serenity that lingers long after you leave.

There is beauty everywhere you look at the lovely park in the hills of Kalaheo: from the stunning southwest views to the Japanese Garden to the Hawaiian Rock Garden.

And there is pride. It is evident in the well-kept grounds; the nine-hole golf course; the well-laid-out and maintained walking paths and trails.

Kukuiolono Park and Golf Course is special to Kalaheo resident Tom Legacy, who is quick to point out that he is just one of many people (including those who serve on the Kukuiolono board of trustees), who fully support and believe in the project they have devoted time and energy to for at least nine years.

“Our long-term goal is to continually improve and maintain the park for the benefit of the people of Hawaii,” Legacy said.

That goal would have pleased Walter Duncan McBryde, the legend behind the historic park.

The park and golf course were McBryde’s gift to the people of Kalaheo, Kauai and Hawaii. The successful businessman and Kauai politician bought 346 acres including Kukuiolono at public auction sometime after 1907. He then leased half of it, setting up an irrevocable trust to provide income to maintain the other half, which he set aside as a park and recreation area for residents of Kalaheo and surrounding communities.

He developed the park into a place of beauty with special gardens, countless trees and paths. The golf course, Kauai’s second (Wailua was the first) was added in 1928 and designed by Toyo Shirai.

(Some published reports say the course was McBryde’s personal golf course; others claim that he provided it for the enjoyment of his mill workers.)

Last year, the Billy Casper Golf Group, which also managed Puakea Golf Course, took over management of Kukuiolono. Robert Medeiros was hired as general manager.

“A Kalaheo native, Medeiros wanted to return to Kalaheo and contribute to the community,” Legacy said.

When McBryde died in 1930, he left the 178-acre park to Hawaii, along with his life savings to help maintain it. He is buried at Kukuiolono.

The Kukuiolono Park project has progressed in several phases, according to Legacy.

Two years ago, work was completed on the restoration of the pavilion and front entry, a stone structure created to honor McBryde’s mother, Elizabeth McBryde.

The pavilion is a peaceful site where people can sit in quiet reflection. A board with old photos hangs on one of the pavilion’s walls. It is one of many that are part of a separate project.

Legacy said he got the idea for Kukuiolono’s historical photo survey when he visited Kong Lung Store in Kilauea and saw a display there of historical photos that impressed him.

“I thought that would be a nice way to pay tribute and honor all the people from the various communities,” he said.

Using photographs from the archives of Kukuiolono, Kauai Museum and provided by various community members, such as Ernie Ferreira of Kalaheo — whom Legacy calls the “unofficial historian of Kalaheo — he started creating the pictureboards that now hang in the pavilion, and the breezeway of the clubhouse.

The third phase was the Japanese and Hawaiian gardens.

A lot of effort and planning went into the work on the Hawaiian rock garden.

“We started with inventorying the stones, drawing plans and submitting them to elders in the community that understand the geomancy, making sure we did it right and clearly conveyed the information about the stones and what they mean.”

Older kupuna from the Westside were involved in the project, something that Legacy is pleased about and proud of.

“They are wonderful, humble people,” he said.

Planned next are improvements to Kukuiolono’s roads. Legacy does not foresee any major capital expenditures for this phase.

The restoration work is funded by trust income and golf course fees, which have been among the lowest on Kauai for years. Generations of residents have played and enjoyed Kukuiolono over the years.

“There is so much aloha for the park, people are proud of it,” Legacy said.

“It is a community resource because of the forward thinking of Walter McBryde, who dedicated that land for the health and well-being for the people of Hawaii.”

Kukuiolono Park and Golf Course is a work in progress. It will be interesting to see what is included in future phases.

Today, however, the photographs alone are well worth a visit to look for familiar faces among those pictured and confirm them by reading the names listed below.

There you might find fathers, mothers, grandparents, uncles and aunts who may be more than just a treasured part of your family.

They may be a part of Kauai’s history as well.

Aloha.

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Rita De Silva is former editor of The Garden Island and a Kapaa resident.