The words to the hula that the Nāaoloa Group has been practicing to for their journey to Iāpana.
This hula was chosen because it talks about David Kalākaua, the last king of Hawaii who reigned between 1874-1891. During this time, he saw to the revival of many different Hawaiian performing arts. He also loved to travel and network with other countries. One of the countries that he travelled to was Japan, just as we are going to do in a few short days. It is mentioned in the fifth verse:
Mauna i lohia me ke onaona, ʻeā
Kaulana i ka nani, kaulana i ka nani me ke kiʻekiʻe
This verse talks about Mount Fuji. It states “The mountain beautified with fragrance, famous for its beauty and grandeur.” We hope to be able to catch a glimpse of that mountain that one of our former kings visited.