(BIVN) – Volunteers were out early Saturday morning, assessing the vandalism damage to the Liliʻuokalani Gardens Japanese tea house, which was apparently tagged with graffiti sometime Thursday or Friday.

Restoration of the tea house, which was built in 1997 using materials imported from Japan, was not an easy task. The work required a special approach. “Soft steel wool and a light hand are the requirements,” read a Facebook message from the Friends of Liliʻuokalani Gardens.

The volunteers went over their options, as they respectfully waited for Friends of Liliʻuokalani Gardens board member Kenji Kuroshima. When Kuroshima arrived, he went to work using the method he knew best.

Anybody who might have seen suspicious activity at the park Thursday night or Friday morning is asked to report that it to the police using the non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.

For future volunteer opportunities at the park, you can contact the Friends of Liliʻuokalani Gardens over Facebook.