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SPECIAL REPORT
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HAWAII'S
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FOUR SEASONS RESORT HUALALAI
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TAKING A DIP - HOW A SWIMMING POOL BECOMES
A CULTURAL IMMERSION
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BY KATHERINE JACOB |
It's a fact: travellers are more environmentally conscious and culturally sensitive
than ever before. Many of them want to actively engage in learning about
a resort's environmental initiatives, its historical features and the culture that surrounds it.
Can a property satisfy all of these needs with a pool?
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SUSTAINABILITY-SAVVY Four Seasons Resort Hualalai stretches along half a mile of sandy beach on Hawaii's North Kona Coast. Built on the site of an ancient fishing village buried by the 19th-century eruption of the Hualalai volcano, the full-service luxury resort's architectural style incorporates elements of nature throughout its 36 low-profile ocean-view bungalows. Lava rock walls are bordered by native plants while bamboo, thatch and slate connect the guest rooms' interiors to the environment as well. Even the golf course has the 3 million-gallon, man-made Lake Punawai, a mini-ecosystem where a gravel bottom and two floating islands of plants are part of the phytoremediation system (the treatment of environmental problems using plants).
Among the resort's six pools, King's Pond is the best illustration of sustainability. In this 1.4 million-gallon saltwater aquarium-pool guests participate in feeding schedules and swim with local species using complimentary snorkel equipment and waterproof fish identification cards. Carved out of ancient lava flows, the pool is home to spotted eagle rays and 4,000 tropical fish that inhabit the reefs outside the property.
"King's Pond is one of the best displays for guests because it provides the proper habitat for long-term captive care," declares Kevin Izumi, owner of Aquarium Systems and Ponds, a supplier of fish to public institutions nationwide. "You won't find anything like that in Hawaii or anywhere in the U.S."
Many guests spend a large part of their vacation here relaxing poolside or on the beach. "The reality is we're a Hawaiian beach resort. Many guests come for the sun so we provide a pool experience that runs the gamut," says Robert Whitfield, Hualalai's general manager. "King's Pond is a throwback to the times when water ponds were used for raising fish in the village."
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ENVIRONMENTALLY-SENSITIVE Fed by natural springs and ocean water that enters through underground channels rising and falling with the ocean tide, King's Pond is an anchialine pool that is directly connected to the ocean. These pools, which have no surface connection to the ocean but contain saltwater that fluctuates with the tide, were an integral part of ancient Hawaiian life. Within the United States, this subterranean connection to the sea is only found in Hawaii, mostly on the west (Kona) side of the island. As part of its commitment to local ecology, the hotel has restored several such pools on the property. The hotel also recycles King's Pond water and pumps it into the herb garden's fish ponds, where the natural resources team raise moi, or Pacific threadfin, a fish so highly-prized by ancient Hawaiians that it was only served to royalty.
The process of raising moi is based on the so-called "living machine" technology that won the resort an Environmental Protection Agency award for the re-use of its golf course water. Among other things, living machines include a mineral base to sustain life, a physical link between the natural and engineered system, and three distinct ecologies, such as a pond, marsh and meadow.
Expanding on the sustainable theme, Hualalai harvests moi from its fifth-hole pond to serve in its restaurants. The resort purchased the half-inch fingerlings and waited 10 months until they were large enough to serve.
"It's the only system in a Hawaiian resort that uses the concept of a living machine for aquaculture and is also a mirror to the ocean-side fish ponds that were part of traditional Hawaiian aquaculture systems," says Dean Higuchi, press officer for US Environmental Protection Agency.
The resort is taking further steps to minimize King Pond's environmental footprint. It's difficult to be energy-efficient with a large pool when you're pumping 1.4 million gallons of water through the system to achieve clarity. "We keep it just at the edge," explains David Chai, natural resources manager. "Most public aquariums have a turnover rate once every hour whereas ours is every three and a half hours."
BIGGEST CHALLENGE It was Chai who initially suggested adding fish to a natural plunge-pool design during the resort's construction in 1994. He knew there was an eight-month balancing act among micro-organisms that a natural pond goes through, but the transition period had the management scared.
"It looked horrible, like a big soupy, nightmare mess, with thick strands of algae floating on the top," describes Chai. "They wanted to shut it down and fill it in with landscaping. They were getting worried as they were planning to open in 1996."
Chai knew it was a matter of introducing the right types of organisms to keep the pond clean. For example, when filamentous algae come up, producing stringy-green cladophora that fish don't like to eat, other organisms like glass shrimp and convict tangs were introduced. And amphipods and burrowing crabs were put in to stir the sand up to stop coating from algae from turning the sand into concrete.
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The pool itself was designed for the swimming dynamics of its living creatures, especially its depth and shape. "Rays have to accelerate and glide or they tire themselves out," clarifies Izumi. "Most ponds that are shallow won't be a proper habitat for certain species."
Most hotels don't develop similar features because of the expense and required expertise. Hualalai has an entire natural resources department that takes care of the animals, although pool expenses are still just 1 percent of the overall operating budget. The goal is to provide an unparalleled resort experience, allowing the resort to charge market leading rates.
MALAMA According to the Hawaiian tradition, it was the responsibility of the people who lived in the village to take care of the shoreline and the ocean. Referred to as malama (taking care of the area you are in), it is the first recommendation Earl Regidor, the Ka‘upulehu cultural centre manager, gives to visitors upon arrival at Hualalai. "Respect for the land is paramount. Then respect for the culture, for the people who live and lived here. Then malama. Then, you know who you are."
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At King's Pond, guests experience this shared responsibility for well-being through interaction with the animals during swimming and guest feedings. The resort carries out malama through its water conservation and restoration efforts, educational programmes and cultural events. "The resort takes care of the land in same way," says Regidor. "David checks on the shoreline to see if there is any leakage, to make sure water quality is as good as or better than when they started."
THE SPIRIT OF ALOHA "The one statement we use that belies everything we do is that we treat others as we would like to be treated," says Whitfield, the general manager. "We have standards within our company that meet the spirit of aloha - giving oneself, giving more and expecting less. You can't define aloha specifically but doing with aloha is with deep respect, kindness and care."
These standards translate into a cultural mandate that pervades the property, from staff training to ocean ambassadors; from native plants to an art collection using indigenous materials. There's no better reflection of this than King's Pool experience, which encapsulates the history, environmental efforts and the deepest aspects of the Hawaiian culture.
Regidor is also passionate about sharing the spirit of aloha with guests. "If they take the aloha that we have shared with them and share it with their friends and family, they have helped us preserve and perpetuate our culture."
They will also have created sustainable features that set their property apart from others.
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DETAILS:
FOUR SEASONS RESORT HUALALAI
72-100 KA'UPULEHU DRIVE KAILUA-KONA HAWAII 96740
OWNER: HUALALAI INVESTORS LLC
MANAGER: ROBERT WHITFIELD
CONTACT: +1 808 325 8000
WWW.FOURSEASONS.COM/HUALALAI
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