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Roberts Hawaii

Roberts Hawaii is Hawaii State’s largest tour and transportation company, with an unmatched fleet of approximately 900 vehicles and a full line of tours, entertainment options and ground transportation services on four islands:  Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu.

One of Hawaii’s premier entertainment providers on Oahu, the company owns the world’s largest Polynesian catamaran, the Ali`I Kai, and produces the award-winning Magic of Polynesia show.  Join us for a sunset dinner cruise or a trip to the Polynesian Cultural Center during your visit to Oahu.  You may also arrange for us to host you at a luau on Oahu, Maui or Kauai.

Hawaii Island (The Big Island) offers a unique array of world class visitor activities.  A popular sightseeing activity is the Hawaii Island Circle Island Tour showcasing impressive natural wonders ranging from volcanoes and tropical forests to its famous black sand beaches.

Established in 1941 with a single taxi cab on the island of Kauai, Roberts Hawaii today is one of the largest employee owned businesses in the islands, with about 1,400 employees.

Book online at  www.robertshawaii.com  and receive up to 15% off selected tours!<

Call us toll free at  1-800-831-5541  or on Oahu at  808-539-9400 .

Contact Information

Address: 680 Iwilei Road, Suite 700, Honolulu, HI  96817 (Main Office) Phone: 808-539-9400 or 800-831-5541 Website: http://www.robertshawaii.com

Destination Hilo 'Ohana

Visiting the big island.

We have currently discontinued our Big Island Museum Discount Pass! Please check the various museums directly to determine if they are open. Those that are open have special new prices and most of them require reservations.

See More about Hawaii Island's museums by clicking here.

Happening Around Hilo

HILO HULA TUESDAYS continues at the Mo`oheau Park Bandstand across from the Hilo Farmers Market at 329 Kamehameha Avenue every Tuesday from 12 noon to 1 p.m.  This free event is sponsored by Destination Hilo’s members and supported by various hula hālau who lovingly perpetuate our Hawaiian culture. Please join us.  We have a one-time […]

Hilo Hula Tuesday at the Mooheau Park Bandstand is being held every Tuesday through December 27, 2022, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.  Please join us for this free event across from the Hilo Farmers Market!  Various well-known Hilo musicians and halau will be featured.

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Through collaboration with public and private industry, Destination Hilo strives to increase visitor satisfaction, extend length of stay, and provide innovative visitor activities offering unique Hawaiian experiences. Efforts are focused on improving quality of life for residents by contributing to a healthy social and economic culture.  Destination Hilo’s flagship “Hawaiian Greetings Program” provides music, entertainment, and networking services to thousands of visitors arriving at Hilo Pier and in Downtown Hilo.

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Our Most Popular Shore Excursions

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Journey to Waimea Canyon

Discover the natural beauty and experience one of the best views of the western coast of Kauai!

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Historic Kona Tour

On this cruise ship excursion, we share Kailua-Kona’s history to set the stage for your trip back in time to Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park — an ancient Hawaiian village of refuge.

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Oahu Pier Shared Transfer

As Hawaii’s largest tours and transportation company, we get you where you need to go on the island of Oahu reliably, quickly, and with Aloha.

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Volcanoes National Park

See the ultimate sights and attractions around the Island of Hawaii on this exceptional tour, including the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park & Visitors Center, Steam Vents, Kilauea Overlook, and the Big Island Candies Factory.

Why Book Your Shore Excursions with Roberts Hawaii?

Roberts Hawaii is proud to be the largest tour and transportation provider in the State of Hawaii, with 75+ years of experience on the islands. We are committed to providing you with quality tours at a great value for a memorable and enjoyable vacation experience. We guarantee a return to your ship well before sailing time, and we will fully refund any tour purchased if your ship is detained from making port.

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We follow CDC procedures by routinely cleaning, thoroughly sanitizing all our vehicles.

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By purchasing direct, you save up to 40% off compared to cruise-line web prices!

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We are a locally owned and operated kamaaina company proudly driven by aloha.

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We guarantee to return you to your ship well before sailing time.

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Roberts Hawaii

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Oahu Grand Circle Island Tour

Pearl Harbor - USS Arizona - Honolulu City Tour

Stars and Stripes Tour: Pearl Harbor and Battleship Missouri

Waikele Outlet Shopping Shuttle from Waikiki

North Shore Dole Pineapple Farm Tour

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Roberts Hawaii Maui Kahului Airport Shared Shuttle Prices & Destinations

The island of Maui is a vast and beautiful locale, and due to the varying distances between the Kahului Airport and many of the island’s hotels and resorts, there is an additional fee depending on the location.

Roberts Hawaii Airport Shuttle – Kahului International Airport

Kahului (+$0.00)

Maui Beach Hotel Maui Seaside

Kihei (+$24.00)

Aston at the Maui Banyan Aston Maui Hill Aston Maui Lu Days Inn Maui Oceanfront Inn Haggai Institute Hale Hui Kai Hale Kai OKihei Hale Kamaole Hale Ki Ili Hale Mahialani Hale Pau Hana Hale Piilani Haleakala Gardens Haleakala Shores Island Surf Kamaole Beach Club Kamaole Beach Royal Resort Kamaole Nalu Oceanfront Resort Kamaole Sands Kauhale Makai Kealia Condo. Keawe Terrace KeoniKai Villages Kihei Akahi Kihei Alii Kai Kihei Bay Surf Kihei Bay Vista Kihei Beach Resort Kihei Cove Kihei Garden Est. Kihei Holiday Kihei Kai Kihei Kai Nani Kihei Manor Kihei Park Shores Kihei Regency Kihei Resort Kihei Sands Kihei Surfside Kihei Villages Koa Lagoon Koa Resorts Lanikai Condo Lihikai Cottages Luana Kai Maalaea Surf Mana Kai Resort Maui Beach Resort Maui Coast Hotel Maui Court Maui Cove Park Inn Maui Gardens Maui Kamaole Maui Parkshore Maui Schooner Maui Sunset Maui Vista Menehune Shores Nani Kai Hale Nona Lani Cott. Pacific Shores Punahoa Bch. Royal Mauian Shores of Maui South Pointe Sugar Beach Residence Sun Seeker LGBT Resort Wailana Kai Waiohuli Beach Hale Worldmark

Wailea ($28.00)

Andaz Maui at Wailea Fairmont Kea Lani Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Grand Champions Grand Wailea (Waldorf) Ho’olei Resort Hotel Wailea Palms at Wailea Maui by Outrigger Polo Beach Resort Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa Wailea Beach Villas Wailea Ekahi Wailea Ekolu Wailea Elua Wailea Fairway Villas Wailea Point

Makena (+$33.00)

Makena Beach & Golf Resort Makena Surf Maui Island Sands

Lahaina (+$40.00)

Aina Nalu Lahaina by Outrigger Lahaina Inn Lahaina Oceafront Estate Lahaina Shores Lahaina’s Last Resort Makai Inn Pioneer Inn Plantation Inn Puamana Beach Townhomes

Kaanapali (+$50.00)

Aston at The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa Kaanapali Alii Kaanapali Beach Hotel Kaanapali Royal Marriott Maui Ocean Club / Maui Marriott Outrigger Maui Eldorado Royal Lahaina Resort Sheraton Maui Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas Westin Maui Resort & Spa

Honokowai (+$60.00)

Aston at Papakea Resort Aston Kaanapali Shores Aston Mahana at Kaanapali Aston Paki Maui Hale Mahina Bch. Hale Maui Apartments Hale Ono Loa Honokowai -Sunrise Honokowai Palms Honokowai Villa Honua Kai Resort and Spa (Konea Tower) Hoyochi Nikko Kaanapali Beach Club Kaanapali Beach Club Kaleialoha Resort Condos Kapalani Estates Kulakane Kuleana Lokelani Mahina Surf Mahinahina Beach Makani Sands Maui Kai Maui Park Maui Sands Noelani Nohonani Pikake Polynesian Shores Westin Nanea Resort

Kahana (+$60.00)

Hololani Resort Kahana Beach Kahana Sands Kahana Falls Kahana Reef Kahana Sunset Condos Kahana Village Kahana Villas Outrigger Royal Kahana Pohailani Maui Sands Of Kahana Valley Isle Resort Kahana Manor

Napili (+$60.00)

Garden at West Maui Hale Napili Honokeana Cove Makena Beach & Golf Resort Makena Surf Mauian Hotel Napili Bay Resort Napili Hau Villages Napili Kai Bch Napili Point Napili Shores Maui by Outrigger Napili Sunset Napili Surf

Kapalua (+$60.00)

Iron Woods Kapalua Bay Villas Kapalua Golf Villas Kapalua Ridge Villas Kapalua Villas Montage at Kapalua Bay Pineapple Hill Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua

Lani, our resident Website Content and Hawaiian Cultural Specialist, is originally from Tokyo, and now splits her time between New York City and Honolulu. When she isn't hard at work, she can always be found dancing hula, finding her inner mermaid while swimming, and baking up storm!

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7 hikers arrested for attempting dangerous Hawaii hike before its permanent removal

People are flocking to Hawaii’s arguably most infamous – and illegal – hike , the Stairway to Heaven, before it is removed for good. Arrests and dozens of citations have immediately ensued.

Just two weeks after the announcement of the infamously dangerous Oahu hike’s permanent removal, the Honolulu Police Department on Thursday reported that seven hikers had been arrested for trespassing and 56 had been cited. Over the weekend, around 60 warnings were issued.

Second-degree trespassing is considered a petty misdemeanor and requires a court appearance, HPD said. 

The hike, also known as Haiku Stairs, has been illegal since 1987. Nevertheless, hopeful hikers have continuously trespassed – while causing disturbances – through residential neighborhoods and private property to ascend the nearly 4,000 World War II-era steel stairs for a panoramic view of Oahu. Due to the inclement weather and steepness of the hike, it’s not uncommon for people to have to be rescued, often by helicopter.  

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The City and County of Honolulu announced on April 10 that the aging stairs would be removed forever in a project Honolulu Major Rick Blangiardi called “long overdue.”

Residents who live by the hike said more people than ever before are trespassing onto their property to access the hike since the announcement, according to KHON2 .

“Be good people and understand it’s not about you and don’t be selfish,” said District Four Commander Maj. Randall Platt in a press conference on Monday, according to KHON2. “Think about what you’re doing to the work people, the environment, it’s all of thise, tracking invasive species in on top of putting the work people at risk on top of putting yourself at risk, it’s really not pono (righteousness) is really what I want to say, it’s not right.”

Ian Schuering, spokesperson for the City and County of Honolulu, told USA TODAY the entire stairway is considered an active work site and extremely hazardous for anyone attempting the hike. 

HPD reminds the public that it is “illegal and unsafe to access Haiku Stairs.” 

As crews are currently preparing the stairs for removal, the first set of stair modules will be flown off the mountain within the next couple of weeks, Schuering said. 

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] .

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Inside the Late-Night Parties Where Hawaii Politicians Raked In Money

After the state passed a law barring government contractors from donating to politicians, fund-raising parties showed just how completely the reform effort failed.

By Blaze Lovell ,  Eric Sagara and Irene Casado Sanchez

The reporters examined campaign contributions and government contracts for this article, part of a series about loopholes in Hawaii’s pay-to-play laws, for The Times’s Local Investigations Fellowship .

For the better part of a decade, some of Hawaii’s most powerful people huddled together at late-night parties in a cramped second-floor office where lobbyists and executives seeking government contracts lined up to drop cash and checks into a metal lockbox.

That was the entry fee for these extraordinary political fund-raisers. Inside the office, just a short walk from the State Capitol in downtown Honolulu, dozens of guests were served sushi prepared by professional chefs and unlimited beer and liquor.

At the end of the night, Wesley Yonamine, the host and a high-ranking airport official, would, together with the politicians, pop open the box and dole out campaign contributions according to a list of pledges obtained before each event.

As described by attendees, a typical party could bring in thousands of dollars in donations, giving some elected officials almost half their annual campaign haul in a single night.

It was not supposed to work this way. In 2005, in response to a series of scandals, Hawaii passed a law that barred government contractors from giving money to politicians. It was billed as one of the nation’s most ambitious efforts to end pay-to-play in contracting and designed to fundamentally change the political culture of a state steeped in corruption.

But legislators wrote a loophole into the law, effectively gutting it: The ban would apply only to donations from the actual corporate entities that got contracts, but not to their owners, employees or any related businesses.

Mr. Yonamine’s parties illustrated just how completely the reform effort failed.

Today, Hawaii is reeling from its latest government corruption scandal, with state officials accused of taking bribes from Milton Choy, a prominent businessman who wore a wire for at least a year as part of a deal with the federal government.

But that is just one glimpse of the role money plays in politics here.

An examination of Hawaii’s contracting system by The New York Times and Honolulu Civil Beat offers a detailed look at the workings of a state known for favoritism and patronage, a culture where big companies with ties to politicians have historically dominated.

“Pay-to-play is woven into the DNA of the statehood of Hawaii,” said Camron Hurt, director of Common Cause Hawaii, a watchdog group. He pointed to the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that led to an “oligarchy” of businessmen, sugar barons and large landowners lasting decades. The industries involved had close ties to the ruling political parties well into the 1960s and 1970s, when Hawaii’s campaign finance regulations were written.

A Times and Civil Beat analysis of campaign donations and contracts found that since 2006 — the year the pay-to-play law went into place — people tied to government contractors have provided a remarkable percentage of the money fueling state and local politics. They have given state and local Hawaii politicians more than $24 million: about one-fifth of all donations made. Of that total, $6 million has come from people tied to just 15 companies.

Most donors rarely mentioned their employers in public records designed to bring transparency to political donations. But The Times and Civil Beat, reviewing hundreds of thousands of campaign records, linked more than 28,000 of the donations to contractors.

The analysis almost certainly captured only some contributions, in part because the state could not provide a full list of contractors. In fact, record keeping is so poor that some vendor information is collected only on paper, while electronic records are riddled with errors. Several of the state’s biggest agencies did not respond to repeated requests for financial records or said they could not find them.

The examination found more than a dozen examples over the past six years of people tied to contractors donating to political campaigns in the months before key decisions led to deals.

Well-timed donations from people linked to contractors

When some companies were on the verge of winning big government contracts, people connected to them donated larger amounts of money to the relevant officials.

Some of the elected officials who could crack down on favoritism are themselves benefiting from the lack of oversight. At least a dozen legislators have worked for or co-owned companies that won state contracts, some profiting in ways that have not been previously reported.

The Times contacted every politician and campaign donor named in this article. Most of those who responded said there was no link between campaign donations and the contracts they won.

Mr. Yonamine acknowledged hosting the fund-raisers but declined requests for a detailed interview. In a brief statement, he denied influencing any contract awards and said he was “raised to give back to the community.”

“It’s what drove me to work in public service for 36 years,” he said. “Helping those seeking elected office by supporting their fund-raisers is an extension of these values and an important aspect of civic engagement afforded citizens under the law.”

Political donations are regulated by the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission, which has a staff of just five people who are responsible for tracking tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions.

Gary Kam, the commission’s general counsel, acknowledged that the law restricted only a small portion of donations. Executives can give freely, and if bundled together, in greater amounts than if their company donated on its own. Expanding the law to cover those people is the “key to it all,” he said.

Many people charged with campaign finance violations have been allowed to keep giving — and to keep getting contracts, The Times and Civil Beat found.

Michael Matsumoto, president of the engineering firm SSFM International, pleaded no contest to money laundering involving campaign funds in 2003. He has since contributed $130,000 to a range of politicians, and the company continues to win public work. He declined to comment.

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People with ties to another major contributor are on trial for corruption. In 2022, federal prosecutors accused the chief executive of the engineering firm Mitsunaga & Associates and four of its employees of bribing Keith Kaneshiro, who was the top prosecutor in Honolulu, with campaign contributions to pursue a criminal case against a former employee. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Dennis Mitsunaga, the chief executive, encouraged others, including family members and people with ties to his company, to donate to candidates, his lawyers said in court. People linked to the firm have donated heavily to a range of politicians, and the firm has won at least $49 million in state contracts since 2011.

All contracts awarded to the firm “were based on merit,” said Nina Marino, a lawyer for Mr. Mitsunaga.

Mr. Kaneshiro’s lawyer argued that campaign contributions made to gain access to politicians were “perfectly legal.”

Other states have been more successful in curbing big campaign contributions from companies seeking government work. In Connecticut, for example, a ban on donations from corporate officers with contracts has wiped out a large swath of campaign funds, according to Joshua Foley, a lawyer for the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

While contractors in Hawaii account for about 20 percent of campaign donations, in Connecticut “the percentage is zero,” Mr. Foley said.

Following recent corruption scandals, the Hawaii Legislature convened a watchdog panel to recommend new laws to improve government transparency. But lawmakers have so far refused to adopt some of the panel’s most meaningful corrective measures.

Notably, bills that would have closed the loophole in the law by prohibiting campaign contributions from company owners, officers and their immediate family members have failed year after year, including in the current legislative session.

Government contractors linked to the most campaign donations

Since 2006, more than $6 million of the campaign money for state and local races in Hawaii has come from people associated with just 15 contractors.

Timely Donations

People tied to big contractors gave more than $1,000 on average — nearly twice as much as political donors who had no obvious government connections, the analysis found. They were also twice as likely to give the maximum for some offices.

Often, their campaign contributions seemed to go to the right people at the right time.

Take R.M. Towill Corporation, a large engineering firm where employees in 2003 were fined for illegal campaign contributions. In the months leading up to the 2022 legislative session, R.M. Towill executives donated to the campaigns of only two state senators — Stanley Chang and Donovan Dela Cruz. Later that year, the two senators were among the co-sponsors of a law that ultimately led to R.M. Towill getting a $500,000 surveying contract.

Mr. Chang said in a recent interview that, besides general discussions of policy, he never talked about legislation or contracts with employees of R.M. Towill. Mr. Dela Cruz did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

In a statement, R.M. Towill’s president, Greg Hiyakumoto, said that company employees supported candidates who pushed for new infrastructure and sustainable development, both of which were part of its mission.

A handful of powerful lawmakers who control vast sums of government money have been among the largest recipients of campaign donations from executives tied to big contractors and their families. Leaders of the influential House Finance and Senate Ways and Means committees, who direct billions of dollars in public works projects every year, have received more than $482,000 in such donations since 2018.

Representative Kyle Yamashita, the current finance chairman, who spent years overseeing the House’s capital improvements budget, has received more than $44,000 in political contributions from people tied to big contractors. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who previously led the House Finance Committee, received more than $107,000, while former Representative Ty Cullen, the vice chairman until 2022, got $22,100.

Mr. Dela Cruz has received more than $239,000 in campaign donations from people tied to big contractors since he became Ways and Means chairman in 2018. Former Senator Gil Keith-Agaran, vice chairman until October, got $70,000 during the same time period.

Politicians who raised the most money from people tied to contractors

Some powerful politicians in Hawaii drew a fourth or more of their state and local campaign donations since 2006 from people with ties to government contractors.

In April 2023, the Senate Ways and Means Committee, led by Mr. Dela Cruz, budgeted for the purchase of a Maui hotel to convert into affordable housing and a school. That created a windfall for the law firm Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher, which got a $450,000 contract to do legal work on the deal. Two of the firm’s directors had recently donated a combined $3,000 to Mr. Dela Cruz and Gov. Josh Green’s campaigns.

One of the directors, Ivan M. Lui-Kwan, contributed another $2,000 to the governor’s campaign as the bill awaited his signature, and another $1,000 after he approved the budget. Mr. Lui-Kwan and Duane Fisher, a partner at the firm, each donated $1,000 to his campaign about two weeks before the contract was awarded.

Mr. Lui-Kwan said donations made by him and his colleagues had no bearing on state contracts. He said they made it a point to never bring up such work at political fund-raisers.

The governor said staff members involved with procurement didn’t communicate with him. “We adopted this approach to avoid any potential conflicts or concerns,” Mr. Green said in a statement.

People tied to big contractors have targeted local races, too.

In December 2021, Goodfellow Bros., one of Maui’s largest building firms, won a $4.6 million contract to expand a local landfill. It was the lowest bidder. The project was approved for funding in 2020 by the mayor at the time, Michael Victorino, and the County Council.

Afterward, executives and their family members gave around $34,000 in campaign contributions to the mayor and to council members, making them among the biggest donors in Maui County.

Goodfellow Bros. said in a statement that its employees could donate to campaigns so long as they did not give in the company’s name.

Alice Lee, chairwoman of the County Council, said that Maui-based companies like Goodfellow Bros. “generally support candidates who support a stable economy, public health and safety and affordable housing.”

Doing Double Duty

In Hawaii, legislators serve part time and can hold outside jobs, which can increase the risk that they will face conflicts of interest. Nevertheless, they are among the highest-paid part-time lawmakers in the country, earning an annual state salary of about $72,000.

An examination of their financial interests found that a dozen of them were employees, directors or co-owners of companies that had won contracts. Since 2006, those companies have gotten at least $56 million in state deals, according to Hawaii’s contract database.

Disclosure records show that Senate President Ron Kouchi earns between $50,000 and $100,000 annually working for his brother’s disposal company on Kauai, which is the only provider of trash services to agencies on that island.

Representative David Alcos III works as a subcontractor on state projects. Representative Micah Aiu is a lawyer at Nan Inc., one of the state’s biggest contractors, which won at least $39 million in projects last year. They have said they are not directly involved in their companies’ contracts.

Mr. Dela Cruz, the Ways and Means chairman, seems to have actually done hands-on work for a state contract: He was the project manager for a $224,000 State Health Department contract with DTL, a communications firm where he was co-owner and vice president.

The State Health Department, which awarded the contract in 2018 for work on a vaccine campaign, said it did not know Mr. Dela Cruz was an owner.

Jason Antonio, a principal at DTL, said in an email that Mr. Dela Cruz was not a project manager and was not involved in the immunization project. But in its proposal, which was submitted to the Health Department in 2017, DTL listed Mr. Dela Cruz as the project manager who would oversee the work on behalf of the firm.

Ronald Balajadia, the department’s immunization chief, said he mostly worked with two other DTL employees and did not recall interacting with Mr. Dela Cruz.

DTL was the only firm to bid on the contract. After selling his ownership interest in the company in late 2020, Mr. Dela Cruz continued receiving money from the firm for consulting services, according to his 2022 financial disclosure.

A Box Full of Campaign Donations

The clearest example of how contractors and politicians regularly circumvented the reforms were the parties hosted by Mr. Yonamine, the former head of visitor information for Hawaii’s airports.

Mr. Yonamine wasn’t directly involved in awarding contracts, but his gatherings provided a casual setting where executives could be introduced to lawmakers and state employees who selected winners, according to attendees.

The parties started as early as 2014 at Mr. Yonamine’s private office in Honolulu, according to campaign finance records, which lists dates and locations where political fund-raisers are held. They moved to the Pagoda Hotel there in 2019 and continued until at least 2020.

Lawmakers who benefited from the parties said Mr. Yonamine provided the venues while campaigns sometimes invited guests.

Attendees would stand chatting along the walls of the office, or later, on a spacious rooftop balcony at the hotel. The guests, sometimes more than 100 at the hotel, said they would discuss legislation, as well as contracts at the airports. Businesses seeking airport work frequently donated to a range of politicians around the time of those fund-raisers. They described the parties on the condition of anonymity because they work for the state or have business relationships with contractors they don’t want to jeopardize. No one, including Mr. Yonamine, denies they took place.

One of the most prominent guests was Mr. Choy, a major political donor and government contractor who would later be sentenced to more than three years in prison for bribing officials. He and his associates donated more than $28,000 to political campaigns around the time of the parties.

By 2020, Mr. Choy was wearing a wire and actively recording meetings to aid federal investigators.

No evidence has emerged that Mr. Choy’s contributions at the parties were illegal or connected to his bribery scheme.

Many guests did work at the airports, a constant source of multimillion dollar contracts.

At least 59 companies competed for airport contracts between 2014 and 2020. But nearly half the airports’ 153 professional services contracts went to just 14 companies. Executives from those firms all donated around the time of Mr. Yonamine’s parties.

Current and former heads of the division overseeing most of the airport design and engineering contracts did not respond to requests for comment.

The contracts were worth a combined total of more than $131 million, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.

These professional services contracts are for design or consulting jobs, and winners are selected based on their qualifications or proposals rather than just their price. The rules tend to give public officials more leeway to choose a company based on favoritism.

Executives at firms that won airport contracts donated a combined $101,000 around the time of the parties, according to campaign finance records, which show when checks were cashed and not when they were given. Candidates raised a total of more than $470,000.

When presented with The Times and Civil Beat’s findings, Ford Fuchigami, then transportation director and now head of the Airports Division, said he could not comment on the awarding of contracts because he was not in charge of selecting the winners. Mr. Fuchigami said he did not recall attending the parties, though records show he donated around the time of a party in 2019. He said he did not know what the state’s rules were for employees like Mr. Yonamine who were politically active or for officials who attended political gatherings.

“What you do on your personal time is what you do on your personal time,” he said.

The fund-raising parties do not appear to have violated the state’s ethics laws.

Robert Harris, director of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, said there were generally no prohibitions on political activity during off-hours as long as state employees did not use any state resources.

Other lawmakers who received campaign money around the time of Mr. Yonamine’s parties were Ms. Luke, the lieutenant governor; former Gov. David Ige; Mr. Kouchi, the Hawaii Senate president; and former Mayor Kirk Caldwell of Honolulu, according to fund-raising documents.

Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Kouchi did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Mr. Ige said he mostly remembered seeing Transportation Department employees at Mr. Yonamine’s office but did not recall recognizing contractors.

Mr. Yonamine — who has a certain renown because his uncle Wally Yonamine was a famous athlete — is a figure in local sports. In 2018, one year after he was named varsity baseball coach at Pearl City High School, state lawmakers, some of whom received campaign contributions from his parties, approved $3 million in funding to convert the field from grass to artificial turf.

As Mr. Yonamine spoke from the refurbished field at an opening ceremony in 2022, a Hawaiian priest sprinkled rainwater on home plate.

“Thank you to all who helped make our dreams come true,” Mr. Yonamine said.

This article was reported in partnership with Big Local News at Stanford University.

How the Numbers Were Calculated

The Times and Civil Beat examined hundreds of thousands of campaign contributions and more than 70,000 state contracts to draw connections between vendors and their donations to political races. The analysis revealed that nearly 20 percent of all campaign contributions since 2006 have come from people tied to companies doing business with the state and local governments.

This number is likely an underestimate because the data is incomplete. Records were obtained from the Hawaii Awards & Notices Data System , which tracks who won state contracts, but a 2021 audit found that only 40 percent of all state contracts awarded that year were posted. It’s not clear if the problem applies to other years.

Reporters requested and reviewed check registers to verify the total payments to vendors from departments. Some departments did not respond to public records requests, including those with large numbers of high-value contracts, such as the Education and Transportation Departments.

The gaps in state and county contracting data and check registers made it difficult to determine just how much money vendors actually received. Published amounts were confirmed with source documents or contracting departments.

Contractors were matched against the names of companies, their executives and employees in a database of campaign contributions maintained by the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission. Donations from spouses and relatives of contractor executives were also included in the count when possible. Spouses and relatives were determined based on people who shared the same last name and address as the main contributor. In some cases spouses were jointly listed as contributors.

The analysis focused on vendors who provide legal, consulting, engineering and construction services. Contracts and contributions for subsidiaries were attributed to their parent companies. Universities and other public agencies with government contracts were excluded from the analysis. Organizations that may have other lobbying interests — such as the Hawaii Association of Realtors — were also excluded.

Contributions made at events hosted by Mr. Yonamine were identified by searching for all contributions made to participating candidates within one week of the parties. The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission requires that contributions be deposited within seven days of receipt.

An earlier version of a picture caption with this article misstated the amount Milton Choy and his associates donated to political campaigns around the time of fund-raising parties hosted by Wesley Yonamine. As the article correctly noted, they donated more than $28,000, not more than $30,000.

How we handle corrections

Blaze Lovell , a reporter in The Times’s Local Investigations Fellowship , writes about government contracts in Hawaii. More about Blaze Lovell

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