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Longest lei-Honolulu sets world record
[May
3]HONOLULU, Hawaii--May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii and Honolulu
set the world record for the Longest Lei: a 5,336 feet in
lengh (1,626 metres) lei that stretched for more than a mile
at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.
Photo:
Volunteers hold up a section of the world's longest, lei,
made of fresh tropical flowers, in Kapiolani Park in front
of Diamond Head mountain near Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Thursday,
May 1, 2008. The lei was officially recorded at 5336 feet,
well over one mile of hand-picked exotic flowers.(AP Photo/Lucy
Pemoni)- enlarge
photo
"We
exceeded our goal,” said Mayor Mufi Hannemann. “We were hoping
to reach one mile. I want to thank the people of Honolulu,
and especially the dedicated and hard working members of our
Department of Parks and Recreation in addition
to our corporate sponsors and volunteers, for making Lei Day
2008 the biggest and best in recent memory.”
Photo:Volunteers attach plumeria, orchids
and other fresh tropical flowers on a section of the world's
longest, lei in Kapiolani Park in front of Diamond Head mountain
near Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Thursday, May 1, 2008. The
lei was officically recorded at 5336 feet, well over one mile
of exotic flowers.(AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni) -enlarge
photo
"We exceeded our goal,” said Mayor
Mufi Hannemann. (enlarge
photo) |
Volunteers holding the world's longest lei, wind
around the edge of Kapiolani Park near Waikiki Beach in
Honolulu, Thursday, May 1, 2008. The lei was officially
recorded at 5336 feet, well over one mile of hand-picked
exotic flowers.(AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni) (enlarge
photo) |
(enlarge
photo) |
(enlarge
photo) |
After taking office in 2005, Mayor
Hannemann challenged the Parks department to reinvigorate
this uniquely Hawaii holiday and enhance Lei Day activities
so that the day will reemerge as a premiere cultural celebration
of Hawaii.
“The Department and Director Les Chang have
certainly risen to that challenge,” Hannemann said. “This
year, we had 152 lei entered in our lei contest in various
categories. That’s up nearly 50% from the 106 entries last
year, and exactly double the 76 entries we had in 2006. I
couldn’t be happier for the growing turnout and participation
in Lei Day, and would love to see it continue on this trend
over the next several years.”
"I'm very happy we're going to be in the
Book of
World Records," said Mayor Hanneman. "A lot of people
participated to make this happen and it's another great cultural
achievement for the people of Honolulu."
After documentation, the crowd was allowed
to take segments of the record-breaking lei with them as souvenirs.
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