May 2025 events for Honouliuli National Historic Site 10th anniversary commemoration

Honouliuli National Historic Site News Release

Release Date: April 30, 2025

Contact: Christine Ogura, Superintendent
[phone]; [e-mail]

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May 2025 events for Honouliuli National Historic Site 10th anniversary commemoration

WAIPAHU, Hawaii -- Honouliuli National Historic Site is commemorating 10 years since it was established in 2015 with yearlong events and activities every month through January 2026.

The park and its over 55 partners will honor and preserve this history by featuring different aspects of the park -- past, present, and future -- to connect and engage the community to this history. The park tells the story of incarceration, martial law, and prisoners of war in Hawaii during World War II. The incarceration site, opened in 1943, was the largest and longest used incarceration site in Hawaii where U.S. residents and citizens of Japanese and European ancestry were unjustly detained. The camp also held over 4,000 prisoners of war including Okinawans, Koreans, Japanese, and Italians.

Events and activities are a mix of virtual and in-person and includes a speaker series, special tours, book events, pop-up exhibits, film screenings, panel sessions, musical performances, youth and school initiatives, and a statewide art exhibit. Many events will be free through the park’s partnership with its non-profit organization, Pacific Historic Parks.

Photos and videos are available for download. The park and its partners are available for interviews and news segments.

May 10th commemoration events:

All events are free and open to the public. Programs are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Check the park website for more information.

Bird Tour: Come and learn about the birds in your local neighborhood and beyond with bird experts from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Hawai’i Audubon Society. All ages welcome with a free make and take binocular activity for kids.
When: Saturday, May 10 at 8:00 am
Where: Kapolei Community Park (91-1049 Kamaaha Loop). Meet near the tennis/pickleball courts
Registration: Though the event is free, spaces are limited and will be first come first serve for signing up. Email [e-mail] to sign up

Book Author Event: In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islanders month, come and meet local poet Richard Hamasaki as he reads from Gate of Memory, an anthology of poetry by descendants of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II in which his poem is featured.
When: Saturday, May 10 at 2-3 p.m.
Where: Ala Moana Center’s Barnes & Noble (1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96814)


The Ecology and Conservation of Pueo: Lessons from Hawaii’s Native Owl: Learn about our state’s only endemic owl, the Pueo, from expert biologist Olivia Wang with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
When: Wednesday, May 14 at 5-6 p.m.
Where: This is a virtual talk and free. Registration is required to get the link for the talk.


Special tour of Konko Mission: The founder of this mission, Reverand Haruko Takahashi, was incarcerated at Honouliuli Internment Camp. The mission will provide a special tour to share Reverand Takahashi’s life story, including a showcase of her memorabilia and photos.
When: Saturday, May 17 at 10-11 a.m.
Where: Konko Mission of Wahiawa (207 Muliwai Avenue, Wahiawa, HI 96786).

Table event: The park will have a table, along with its partners Kalaeloa Heritage Park and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to share about the native plants and animals that can be found at the park and within the larger Honouliuli ahupua’a.
When: Saturday, May 17 at 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Patagonia Honolulu store (535 Ward Avenue)

Wiliwili: Exploring the Cultural Significance and Evolving Pollination of a Native Hawaiian Tree: Learn about our state’s rare lowland dry forest tree that can be found at the park from expert ethnobotanist Emily Grave.
When: Wednesday, May 28 at 5-6 p.m.
Where: This is a virtual talk and free. Registration is required to get the link for the talk.

Talk and book signing: Author Gail Okawa will be relating stories about Hawaii's Japanese immigrants who were unjustly targeted for arrest and internment after the Pearl Harbor attack, some of whom had sons serving and dying in the Pacific and European Theaters during WWII, whom she seeks to honor on this Memorial Day weekend. Following her talk, Dr. Okawa will be signing her book Remembering Our Grandfathers' Exile, which begins with her grandfather's arrest and relates the broad story of the Hawai`i Japanese WWII incarceration and exile in far away Louisiana, Montana, and New Mexico.
When: Saturday, May 24 at noon-1:30 p.m.
Where: Pearl Harbor National Memorial Theater. Free parking during the Memorial Day weekend.

Special book displays: Bookstores daShop in Kaimuki and Ala Moana Center’s Barnes & Noble will be featuring special book displays during the month for the park’s 10th commemoration in conjunction with Asian American and Pacific Islanders heritage month.
When: The month of May
Where: da Shop (3565 Harding Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816) and Ala Moana Center’s Barnes & Noble (1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96814)

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The latest information on all events and activities are on the park’s website, www.nps.gov/hono. Also visit the park’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/honouliulinps) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/honouliulinps).