Strong Pacific quake hits near Vanuatu but no tsunami threat
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A strong earthquake has struck in the South Pacific near the archipelago nation of Vanuatu, but authorities say there is no threat of a destructive tsunami.
The magnitude 6.7 quake hit Wednesday about 78 kilometers (48 miles) east of the town of Lakatoro, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was about 187 kilometers (116 miles) from the capital Port Vila.
There were no immediate reports of damage on Vanuatu, which is home to about 280,000 people.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there was no large tsunami expected and no threat to Hawaii. New Zealand authorities say there was no tsunami threat there.
Vanuatu sits on the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire,” the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.
Report: Resort home sales increased last year
HONOLULU — The number of resort homes sold last year increased, reaching the highest level of sales in a decade, according to a Hawaii housing report.
More than 1,500 residential properties at resorts in Hawaii were purchased last year, rising by 16 percent from the more than 1,300 sold the previous year, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday. The number of sales last year is the highest since the more than 1,700 resort homes sold in 2007.
“The market is accelerating,” housing market researcher Ricky Cassiday said in the report.
Prices have been flat on average for the last three years, but that could change next year in part due to the strong economies in areas that supply many of the resort home buyers, Cassiday said.
“Next year is probably the year that pricing builds atop the current trend,” Cassiday said.
The average price of condominiums, single-family homes and residential lots last year was $1.3 million, unchanged from the two previous years, according to the report. The record was nearly $1.6 million in 2008.
On average, a single-family home sold for $2.4 million. Condos sold for $1 million on average, and lots were priced at about $936,000.
The number of single-family homes sold increased by 9 percent to 351. Condo sales were up 18 percent, rising to 1,055 last year. The number of lots sold increased by 30 percent to 150, according to the report.
Kauai had the largest portion of sales at 485, followed by the Big Island with 467, Maui with 445 and Oahu with 149.
Oahu pillbox trail reopens after closing for repairs
HONOLULU — A popular Oahu trail that takes hikers up a ridge to World War II-era pillboxes has reopened after closing for repairs this summer.
The Kaiwa Ridge Trail, commonly known as the Lanikai Pillbox trail, reopened Monday following the June closure to renovate the military structures.
Work on the pillboxes involved concrete repair and replacement of rusted steel roof supports, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said. Roof sealant was applied, and new steel flange roof supports were installed. The nearly $250,000 repairs aim to help prevent additional weathering on the structures.
The structures were coast artillery stations that functioned to direct gun batteries during World War II, according to the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Lanikai residents told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that they have enjoyed the two-month break from sunup to sundown noise from hikers. The trail has drawn more visitors in recent years, gaining popularity through social media.
Resident Marya Grambs said she has been awakened by cars and the loud talking of hikers hitting the trail early. As the trail closed, the area has been “very peaceful and very pleasant,” she said.
“I just hope when the pillbox (trail) reopens there will be some way to manage the numbers of people that go,” Grambs told the newspaper before the reopening. “I hope they figure out a way so it’s not unlimited access 24 hours a day.”
The state division has hired planning consultant PBR Hawaii to develop a management plan to improve the trail while reducing its impacts on the environment and the community. The recent repairs were completed outside that plan.
“We have to have some sort of management because at some point, we’re just inundated with people, cars, trash, graffiti,” resident Thomas Cestare said.
The state is planning to close the trail again for a day next month so crews can remove debris from the trail’s end.