Roadside Art: The Pillbox Mural at Ho'okipa (April - June)

Updated 7/11/13: Found four more pics from April!

Roadside art is very real on Maui. This local phenomenon, which I call the "Ho'okipa Pillbox" since it was part of an old WWII radio station, gets face lifts all the time. It's on privately owned property on the bluff of Ho'okipa, along the North Shore of Maui, but the landowner doesn't seem to mind that people sneak through the fence, go around the cow pies, and paint, often stealthily at night. The murals celebrate so many things: birthdays, memorials, comments on life, and who knows what else?

While there is some graffiti and even "gangster" street art, most of the murals are artistic and creative endeavors. Auntie Nani must have been a very special lady, since she received not just one but two murals. 

I'm intrigued by this mural and wanted to show more detail: "Mayor of Ku'au."
Ku'au is a section of Pa'ia along the ocean,
in the surf neighborhood of Mama's Fish House, a famous Maui restaurant.
Who is the Mayor of Ku'au? He's giving us a shaka sign with his left hand - that's a friendly gesture in Hawaii. He's into golf, cycling, surfing and maybe also stand up paddling, windsurfing or diving, represented by the orange and white striped flag. 

<Recently, the Ham Radio Club of Maui engaged in Ham Radio Field Day or (weekend) the weekend of summer solstice, camped out at Ho'okipa Bluff, and repainted the pillbox. They do this every year, with the landowner's permission.


Above is a collage from this year's radio weekend. 
This picture doesn't show all the stealth cow pies on the ground.

Last year, I wrote a longer blog post about the Ham Radio Club at Ho'okipa which gives more history about the pillbox and ham radio club. You might also enjoy looking at previous Ho'okipa pillbox murals.