Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site Reopens

After being closed for four days, the Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site opened its doors to the public Thursday morning.

The park initially closed on Sunday after a fast-moving brush fire in Kawaihae threatened the site, burning 90 percent of the vegetation on the historic site’s 80 acres.

On Wednesday, officials decided to keep the park closed, pending then-Topical Storm Hilda. Hilda has since been downgraded to a tropical depression, moving south of the islands.

Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The 43^rd annual Ho‘oku‘ikahi Establishment Day Hawaiian Cultural Festival, scheduled for this weekend, was canceled on Wednesday.

“We regret the inconvenience of having to close temporarily and for having to cancel the festival that so many enjoy,” said Superintendent Daniel Kawaiaea said Wednesday. “As always, our priority is the safety of park staff, our visitors, and the practitioners.”

Officials say the Cultural Festival will not be rescheduled this year, but next year’s event is already scheduled for Aug. 13 and 14, 2016.