It’s More than just golf at Pearl Country Club, It’s Also about the ‘Āina (Land)
Kamehameha Schools
‘Āina, or land, is core to the Native Hawaiian identity and wellbeing—framing our shared histories, traditions and relationships, as well as providing great sustenance.
Kamehameha Schools holds a great kuleana, or responsibility, to sustainably care for, nurture and enhance our lands for communities of today and tomorrow.
As stewards of ‘Āina Pauahi, Kamehameha Schools cares for approximately 363,000 acres of land passed down through Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop’s moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) in perpetuity. These lands help to achieve and support the schools’ educational mission by balancing returns across five values—community, culture, economics, education, and environment—to generate positive impact from a vast land and property portfolio that spans the pae ‘āina (Hawaiian Islands).
Kamehameha Schools lands within the Kalauao ahupua‘a (land division) are special having been gifted to Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop from her mother, Laura Kōnia. Encompassing over 2,700 acres, these lands start at Pu‘u Kaiwipo‘o in the ma uka region and runs ma kai past Pearl Country Club and Pearlridge Center down to Pearl Kai Shopping Center.
Learn more at ksbe.edu.
Like a pearl, the Pearl Country Club is a hidden gem among golf experiences on O‘ahu with a picturesque view of Pu‘uloa (Pearl Harbor) and challenging par-72 golf course.
In 2020, Kamehameha Schools regained control of the golf course after a 55-year ground lease with Honda Kaihatsu Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, an entity created by Mr. Soichiro Honda, who was also the founder and former president of the Honda Motor Co. LTD.
Throughout Pearl Country Club’s existence, the goals were to serve the community first, foster international goodwill and provide Hawai‘i golfers with the opportunities to experience top-notch completion—foundational values that Kamehameha Schools looks to advance forward while integrating key community activities and educational programming.
About this Area
“Lei Kalauao i nā momi o ʻEwa.”
The pearls of ‘Ewa proudly adorn Kalauao.
This is a metaphor that likens Kamehameha Schools’ work to stringing together a beautiful lei.
In times past, this area named Puʻuloa was well known for its pearl oysters, which provided the inspiration for its English name “Pearl Harbor” and is the historical basis of the metaphor.
Continuing the metaphor, nā momi, or the pearls, represent the rich resources from the natural environment, a person, a program, business, or an educational opportunity.
As Kamehameha Schools strings together the lei by convening people or bringing the right resources together, we create a product or system with synergy, whose combined beauty and value outweighs that of its constituent parts.
We link the pearls of the ʻEwa region and showcase them as a lei in the Kalauao ahupuaʻa.