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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                       March 21, 2012    KUALOA REGIONAL PARK HOSTS KUALOA/HAKIPU'U CANOE FESTIVAL    (Wed., March 21, 2012) –The City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation Kualoa Regional Park is hosting its third annual Kualoa/Hakipu`u Canoe Festival on Saturday, April 14, 2012, from 10am–3pm. The event takes place at Kualoa Regional Park, 49-479 Kamehameha Highway, Campground A.               The festival is aimed at capturing the historic and ancient traditions of canoeing, dating back to the Polynesian voyaging era.  It is designed to educate and stir the imaginations of those interested in the original settlers of Hawaii .               The program will showcase a master canoe builder repairing a canoe, a paddle maker, educational booths, and a variety of sailing vessels.  Rides will be offered to the public on the sailing canoe and double-hulled canoe.  The Polynesian Voyaging Society will be in attendance with their voyaging canoes, Hokule'a and Kama Uheheu, moored in the bay.  The educational voyaging canoe, Kanehunamoku, and charter schools Halau Ku Mana and Hakipu'u Learning Center, will host instructive booths to share the knowledge of voyaging through various hands-on activities.                Kualoa Beach Park, which literally means "long ancestral background," is considered a sacred area.  In 1975, it served as the launching site for the Hokule`a voyaging canoe—the touchstone for rekindling Hawaiian heritage and pride in Polynesian seamanship.               This canoe festival is open to the public.   On site registration is required to ride on the canoes.  Food will be available to purchase.  Come and enjoy the day at Kualoa Regional Park.    -30-   Media contact: Iris Fukunaga, Kualoa Regional Park Manager, 237-8525