Civic Club Leads Glassbottom Boat Tours

Koolaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club will sponsor cultural tours of Kaneohe Bay June 29 aboard the Coral Queen glassbottom boat.

Tours will depart from Heeia Kea pier between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., with area historian Mahealani Cypher and cultural practitioner Jerry Kaluhiwa on board. Together they will share with passengers the unique history and legends of the bay’s nine ahupua’a.

“We think it combines history and environmental education at the same time,” said civic club president Alice Hewett of the “Legends of Ko’olau” tours. The club offers the one-and-a-half-hour rides a few times each year to give residents and visitors a better appreciation of the bay’s past and the ongoing challenges to its marine life.Cypher has tales to tell about stone canoes from Tahiti, the naming of Waihe’e ahupua’a, the love story of Waiahole and more – including the creation of the first man from the sands of Mokapu.

Tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for keiki. To reserve a seat, call 235-8111 or email malamapono744@aol.com . Proceeds help pay for the boat lease and for the club’s educational programs.