LAHAINA – As Akoni Akana walked through Malu Ulu O Lele park, he could visualize its future by remembering the past.

The park and its surroundings were once home to alii, Akana said. There were once wetlands — the ponds of Mokuhinia — and a 1-acre island known as Moku'ula in the pond.

The island held a royal compound and mausoleum and served as the spiritual and political center of the islands for 300 years, according to the Friends of Moku'ula.

The pond was filled in 1914 and eventually the area was converted into a county park.

Now Akana, executive director of Friends of Moku'ula, said the organization is slowly moving ahead with restoration plans for the historic site. The organization's slogan is: "I ka wa mamua ka wa mahope – The future is in the past."

The nonprofit group estimates restoration will cost $5 million to $10 million. Grants, donations and membership fees keep the organization and restoration efforts alive, said Mahina Martin, Friends program director. But getting the major grants needed to pay for the restoration will depend on the level of support shown by the county and community, she said.

Moku'ula is listed on the national and state registers of historic places and has been gaining attention throughout the world, Akana said.

In 1990, a group of volunteers that included Akana conducted research to attempt to rediscover the site. After identifying the park as a probable location, an archaeological study was prepared by Bishop Museum specialists in 1992. Maui County funded the study, which found that the park was the original location and much of the site remained intact under the hard-packed dirt.

Akana said the Friends would like to "interpret" the traditional Hawaiian life of the area and have the area restored so they can educate the public and share the culture with visitors.

"The opportunity is here to do that," Akana said.

Theo Morrison, executive director of the LahainaTown Action Committee, said the business organization supports the revival of a historic Hawaiian cultural site.

"We are big supporters of the whole concept of the restoration of Hawaiian culture in Lahaina," she said.

Compared to other towns, "Lahaina has every area of history; it has always flourished," she said. Morrison said Lahaina was the scene for many of the major historic periods of Hawaii: the original Hawaiian settlements in the islands, the missionary period, the brief but raucous whaling era, the development of plantations.

"We're lucky here in Lahaina; we have this short opportunity to try to interpret the Hawaiian history and to perpetuate that history," Akana said.

Akana said they now have the land to restore, unlike Waikiki, which is going through restoration "after the fact" with massive buildings already rooted in the land.

Akana said Lahaina will be improved by bringing back an element of traditional culture to an area where many local people do not visit.

"Excuse me, this is a local town," he said.

Akana said that a Maui Visitor's Bureau survey showed that around 66 percent of Maui's visitors stay in West Maui and about 86 percent of all tourists stop in Lahaina. But Lahaina had the lowest satisfaction rating from the visitors on what it had to offer.

Akana said there is a sign that says Lahaina was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, but there is not much that indicates it.

"OK, where is that capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom?" he said, voicing the thought a visitor might have

"Here it is in a sense," he said pointing to the park. "But we've never been able to interpret it."

There is an informational sign about Moku'ula next to the entrance of the Shaw and Front Street parking lot. There is also a "Pohaku Monument" and plaque near the parking lot to signify the park as an important historical site, Akana said.

The monument was erected to note the significance of the site, with a hope it would help to keep people from littering and damaging the park, Akana said.

Now, the organization is moving forward to "interpreting" the historic place. Friends of Moku'ula is in the planning part of Phase I, he said.

In December, the group acquired a 35-year lease and license from the county to occupy parts of Malu Ulu O Lele Park.

The license is for a parking lot, a softball field and the boundary with a Salvation Army center. The lease is for the 2-acre parcel between the Salvation Army and Waiola Church.

The Friends hope to acquire rights to other sections of the park as the county develops alternate sites for the ballfields and other park facilities.

Akana said plans include relocating and excavating the parking lot and restoring the wetlands. The Friends also envision an open-air traditional building to be used as a community gathering spot.

Akana said part of what used to be Moku'ula is under the Shaw Street parking lot. He hopes to relocate the parking to the vacant parcel between the Salvation Army and Waiola Church.

"We can't do excavation unless we have access to the island," Akana said.

The entrance way for the parking lot was the entrance way to the island, he said.

The restoration effort is being supported by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, which has focused its efforts on restoring facilities of the missionary and whaling periods.

"From what we see they want to do, we think it is highly significant," said Keoki Freeland, foundation executive director.

Freeland said the foundation helped get the Friends of Moku'ula started, by serving as an established nonprofit organization that could accept grant funds for the archaeological digging that's been done.

Besides local support, Akana said the Friends have been getting support and inquiries from all over the world. Akana said he spoke at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., for National Geographic.

"Indigenous cultures are being recognized as being essential to the well-being of the earth and man," he said.

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