Koa tree to be harvested for a Moloka‘i Canoe

Tuesday, May 2, 2006, marks a historic day for the island of Moloka‘i and the Moloka‘i Canoe Racing Association. Coffees of Hawaii has partnered with the Moloka‘i Canoe Racing Association (MCRA) and together they are bringing Moloka‘i its first Koa Outrigger Canoe. MCRA has retained John Kekua and the Umikoa Ranch in Hilo, Hawai‘i to cut two koa trees on Tuesday morning. The trees are being generously donated by the Umikoa Ranch and John Kekua will be cutting, hauling and shipping these logs to Moloka‘i.

It’s taken well over 90 years for these two koa trees to mature to their fullest. The planning and coordination between the MCRA board members, Coffees of Hawaii and the Umikoa Ranch management began in January, 2005 and final agreements were reached in 2006. David Matsuura, General Manager of the Ranch along with John Kekua, canoe builder and Liko Wallace, President of MCRA carefully selected these trees in the fall of 2005. It’s been the desire of Dan Kuhn, General Manager of Coffees of Hawaii to adopt one Moloka‘i community organization that was in need and to be involved in an educational and traditional Hawaiian project.

Coffees of Hawaii agreed to pay for the cutting, hauling and shipping from Hilo to Moloka‘i and provide a covered warehouse for the logs to dry under at their kualapu‘u, base yard. Once the logs are dried (this process takes about six months to a year), John Kekua will travel monthly from the Big Island to Moloka‘i to start the cutting and carving process. Coffees of Hawaii has also agreed to provide the tools necessary for the project and pay for travel expenses.

The owner of Coffees of Hawaii, Mike Atherton is thrilled and he has also agreed to build a traditional canoe hale at the coffee plantation for the canoe to be housed in while it is being worked. “Working with the community on such a traditional project is an honor, and it is our intent to provide a venue for young men and women involved in outrigger canoe paddling to learn the art of canoe building,” said Mike.

A community project such as this is truly exciting and deserves proper filming and documentation, so Coffees of Hawaii has retained Moloka‘i born and raised film director and editor Matt Yamashita of Quazifilms to cover this story. Documentation has already begun with the planning process and he will film each phase of this project until the canoe launches in the water for its inaugural event.

The event happening on Tuesday, May 2, is like no other for generations of Moloka‘i people, especially the young. The accumulated years of growth of the koa trees, nestled in the forest proximity of Hawai‘i's active volcano, speaks of old Hawai‘i through the majestic rings of its trunk. As the leaves fall off, in its cycle of life and rest, the tree joyously celebrates its journey to Moloka‘i, being caressed by many hands, smoothing, molding and shaping the future for Moloka‘i’s Keiki's to paddle across Hawaiian waters, as their ancestors once did. The people of Moloka‘i are eager for the day when the canoe meets the water, boldly and proudly connecting to the past.