Built in 1909, the Makapu’u Lighthouse on the easternmost point of Oʻahu continues to guide mariners in Hawaiʻi's waters. It became fully automated in 1974.
But before then, U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse keepers lived on the premises and manually operated what is now a popular spot for visitors and residents.
Ron Cianfarani, the final Makapuʻu Lighthouse keeper 50 years ago, recently returned during a visit to Hawaiʻi. Coast Guard members gave him a special tour of the lighthouse to honor his service and his part in Hawaiʻi's lighthouse history.
The Fresnel lens used at Makapuʻu is the largest one in the United States. Cianfarani said it was hand-cut and polished in 1887 in France. Crews had to scale pieces of the lens up the side of the cliff from a ship because the road had not been built.
The 12-foot-tall and 8-foot-wide lens takes up more than a quarter of the space inside the 46-foot-tall lighthouse, according to the Coast Guard.
Cianfarani, a retired Coast Guard petty officer, now lives in Rhode Island. He remembers getting the plum assignment here in the islands.
"I had never been stationed at a light station before. I had no clue. I really didn't know a heck of a lot about Hawaiʻi except it was beautiful. So I contacted the officer in charge of the station and he sent me some photos, and I couldn't believe it. I mean, the place was absolutely gorgeous," Cianfarani told HPR.
He said it was an unbelievable three years with his wife and three children. Daily uniform? Shorts and flip-flops.
Two other Coast Guard members lived with their families alongside Cianfarani in housing up by the lighthouse.
"We maintained the light obviously, kept the grounds in beautiful shape. Had an office, garage, an emergency generator room in case the light did go out. Believe it or not, we got our water from a pump down at Sea Life Park."
Water was pumped to the top of the hill above the park and then gravity drained down to a tank near their homes.
Cianfarani has fond memories of life at the lighthouse. He said "Hawaii Five-O" actor Jack Lord sent a bouquet for his wife after the television production blocked the road to the lighthouse for a time, even delaying the homecoming of one of their twins from the hospital.
These days, visitors park at the bottom of the improved road and walk to the top for a panoramic view of northeast Oʻahu.
"I was highly impressed. It's really great for tourists," Cianfarani said after visiting. "The road is improved probably 100%. I know you can't drive up there, but that was our mode of transportation. We drove up that hill every day probably and I think I could do it blindfolded."
This story aired on The Conversation on Feb. 6, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Sophia McCullough adapted this story for the web.
