Hawaii

Historic Hawaiian Kukui Tree Cut Down After Nearly 30 Years at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – WDWNT

Published

2 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Historic Hawaiian Kukui Tree Cut Down After Nearly 30 Years at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – WDWNT

A notable piece of living history has been removed from Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort after reportedly dying from recent cold weather.

Walt Disney World’s One-of-a-Kind Hawaiian Tree

forestryjournal.co.uk

The Polynesian Resort’s one-of-a-kind kukui nut tree was cut down in late June after Disney horticulturalists determined the tree could no longer survive in the wake of a uniquely difficult Florida winter.

The large tropical tree was located to the rear of the Great Ceremonial House, just off a guest footpath. According to a 2020 Forestry Journal feature, it was believed to be the only tree of its kind in mainland North America.

The tree, Aleurites moluccana, was donated to Disney by the people of Hawaiʻi and planted at the resort on April 5, 1997, the 25th anniversary of the opening of Magic Kingdom.

The kukui tree carried particular significance as the state tree of Hawaiʻi from 1959 forward, and it is still regarded as an important cultural symbol of the state. The tree at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort had been transplanted directly from Hawaiʻi, with a time capsule reportedly placed in the soil around its roots and base when it was planted.

In accordance with a traditional Hawaiian custom, according to the Forestry Journal piece, the kukui tree was planted behind the Great Ceremonial House rather than at the front, and it was deliberately planted by one lucky hotel guest, rather than a Cast Member. The article explained that this reflected a Hawaiian belief that kukui trees should be planted toward the rear, or “hale,” of a home and by a stranger to bring good luck.

In our photos, crews are seen working in the landscaped area near the resort’s longhouses and the Lava Pool. Orange cones and barricades block off portions of the walkway, with a utility vehicle and equipment nearby. The tree had been cut down, with a tall remaining trunk section visible where the kukui tree once stood.

At Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, the tree helped support the resort’s South Pacific placemaking. The tree’s distinct light green, silvery leaves, striking trunk, and small green fruits stood out against native Florida trees and even other tropical trees planted at the resort.

For much of the kikui’s tree life, a Moreton Bay fig tree grew nearby on the opposite side of an adjacent footpath, another transplant tree which itself was removed some time around 2022.

polynesian-resort-great-ceremonial-house-concept-art

The Facebook group Tikiman’s Unofficial Polynesian Resort Pages made a post regarding the tree’s removal, detailing that the recent unusual cold weather at the resort was too much to bear.

The tree had, however, a history of surviving violent Florida weather. A Disney Resort Team member told Forestry Journal that the kukui tree had been struck by lightning twice, survived hurricanes, nearly been uprooted, and endured prior cold snaps before this latest reported decline.

It is not currently known whether Disney plans to replace the kukui tree, or whether the reported time capsule at its base was removed, returned to the ground, or preserved elsewhere. We will keep you updated

Do you have any memories or photos of the kukui tree during its time at the Polynesian? Please share your memories with us on social media.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Hawaii

Washington Football Pursuing Coveted 2028 Four-Star Hawaii Athlete

Published

13 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Press Room

Washington Football Pursuing Coveted 2028 Four-Star Hawaii Athlete

Whether four-star 2028 prospect King Pitts has an offer from the Washington Huskies as an offensive lineman or an athlete, he’s firmly on Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies coaching staff’s radar.

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound two-way lineman is back in his native Hawaii and set to play his junior season at Kapa’a High School after playing at Cardinal Newman in California, after establishing himself as a national recruit during his sophomore year as an offensive tackle and versatile defensive lineman.

The No. 241 overall recruit—according to the 247Sports Composite—Pitts holds 43 total scholarship offers with two years still left of high school football.

As a defensive lineman, Pitts can play either defensive tackle or defensive end with his ability to be a disruptive force against the run and pass. Whichever position the Islands product ends up playing at the next level, there isn’t a question of if, but how well he’ll hold up against Big Ten and SEC-caliber talent.

UW hasn’t ventured heavily into recruiting Hawaii as much recently as the football program has in previous decades. Aside from signing tight end Kekua Aumua in the 2026 class, who began and finished his prep career at Kahuku after transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for his junior season, Fisch has only signed one other prospect from Hawaii, Mililani quarterback Treston Kini McMillan in 2025.

Over the years, the Huskies have featured several notable recruits from the Islands, including defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele in 2019 and a pair of edge rushers, Zion Tupuola-Fetui in 2018 and Hau’oli Kikaha in 2010.

If Fisch and Co. can get the coveted two-way lineman on campus for at least one, if not multiple, unofficial visits over the course of the next 12 months, UW should be a major factor in Pitts’ recruitment long-term.

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Hawaii

Suspect sought in Kailua drive-by shooting

Published

23 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Press Room

Suspect sought in Kailua drive-by shooting

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A drive-by shooting road rage incident in Kailua has prompted an attempted murder police investigation.

According to the Honolulu Police Department, at around noon Sunday, an unknown man driving a white Ford van was involved in an alleged road rage incident with a 25-year-old man and his 24-year-old female passenger while they were inside their vehicle.

Police said the suspect allegedly displayed his handgun and then fired, hitting the vehicle.

No one was hurt.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 911 or CrimeStoppers at (808) 955-8300.

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Hawaii

Journey adds second show to final performance in Hawaii | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Published

1 day ago

June 28, 2026

Press Room

Journey adds second show to final performance in Hawaii | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

COURTESY MIKE SAVOIA

Journey lead guitarist Neal Schon, an original member of the band that launched in 1973 in San Francisco.

The popular rock band Journey will perform a second show at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena after tickets for its Sept. 8 concert were quickly snatched up when the Hawaii-only presale began Friday.

The newly added Sept. 6 show will give Hawaii fans one more opportunity to experience Journey’s Final Frontier Tour. Concert promoter Rick Bartalini said the Sept. 8 show “will remain Journey’s last-ever performance” in the islands.

“Journey’s relationship with Hawaiʻi is unlike anything we have seen with a mainland-based artist or group,” Bartalini said in a news release. “These songs have been part of people’s lives here for generations, and the response to this final Hawaiʻi return has been incredible. The added September 6 show gives local fans another chance to be part of this historic final chapter before Journey’s last-ever Hawaiʻi performance on September 8.”

Tickets for both concerts are available at Ticketmaster.com through an exclusive presale for Hawaii residents. The Hawaii presale, which is online only, with no code required, gives local residents the chance to purchase tickets through 9 a.m. Friday before mainland access and general ticket sales begins an hour later.

Bartalini “strongly urged” fans to purchase tickets only through Ticketmaster, the official ticketing provider, and “to avoid inflated or speculative listings on resale sites.”

A dollar from every ticket sold will support the Hawaiian Council’s local flood recovery efforts for families and communities impacted by the recent Kona-low storms.

Journey has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. The band’s music spans more than five decades and includes chart-topping hits and rock anthems, including “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Faithfully,” “Wheel in the Sky,” “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” “Open Arms” and “Lights.”

The band’s last Hawaii shows were Oct. 5 and 6, 2022, at Blaisdell Arena.

“Fans in Hawai‘i hold a special place in Journey’s heart,” Bartalini said, noting that after the band’s first public show at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve 1973, the group flew to Hawaii the very next day, Jan. 1, 1974, to perform at the Sixth Annual Sunshine Festival, commonly referred to as the Diamond Head Crater Festival, for an audience of over 100,000.

From there, Journey became a recurring part of Hawaii’s concert history, performing live 34 times across the islands, including 30 confirmed appearances on Oahu and 26 shows at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, as well as performances at UH, the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, and the Queen’s Marketplace Amphitheatre in Waikoloa on the Big Island.

“Journey’s relationship with Hawai‘i is unlike anything we have seen with a mainland-based artist or group,” Bartalini said. “For more than 50 years, they have returned to these islands again and again, from Diamond Head Crater to this final stop at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, creating memories that span generations of local fans.

“Journey’s music has been woven into so many of our lives for generations. These are the songs people grew up with, fell in love to, drove around the island listening to, sang with their families, and carried through some of the most meaningful moments of their lives. That is what makes this Final Frontier Tour so powerful,” he added.

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