KAPA‘A — Warren Haruki, president and CEO of Grove Farm, remembers when Norfolk pines lined the roadsides around Kapa‘a High School, serving at times as screens from storm-blown debris. Haruki — a classmate of Daniel Hamada, the principal of Kapa‘a
KAPA‘A — Warren Haruki, president and CEO of Grove Farm, remembers when Norfolk pines lined the roadsides around Kapa‘a High School, serving at times as screens from storm-blown debris.
Haruki — a classmate of Daniel Hamada, the principal of Kapa‘a High School — recently contributed about 30 Cook Island pine trees with the hopes of restoring the skyline of trees.
Marissa Sandblom, a Grove Farm vice president, said the company is doing some plantings on its land and asked Hamada if he would be interested in having some trees to beautify the Kapa‘a High School campus.
“I was here when Hurricane Iniki hit,” Hamada said. “During the hurricane, I was on the second floor of a classroom building and watched how the trees along the road saved a lot of homes from flying debris.
“Since then, some of the trees have gone so we can restore the ones we lost.”
Hamada said additional trees will be used along the softball field which is being built on the athletic field. The trees can serve as a “partition” for the different sections of the field.
With school looming Monday, Hamada said he plans to have the students take ownership of the trees by having student groups assist in planting them.
The trees, averaging between 10 to 12 feet in height, were brought over from Maui for the project, Sandblom said.
