"It's a solemn, quiet place," said Gonzales, noting the Pali Lookout is where Kamehameha's warriors defeated the armies of O'ahu in the great ali'i's quest to unify the islands.

Her husband, Philip Gonzales, said he understood why the lunchwagon was there and even bought something from it. But he also expressed concern about commercial activity on state park land.

"Is there any place left where it isn't about making money?" he asked.

The answer may depend on how much money there is to be made.

Buoyed by the results of a visitor survey and the success of new "mobile food concessions" on O'ahu, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is seeking bids for lunchwagon operations at parks across the state. It's part of a larger initiative by DLNR to expand privately operated concessions on state lands — a policy that has been criticized for raising the level of commercialism to places where it may not be culturally or environmentally appropriate.

In a survey conducted last year by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, visitors to state parks said the lack of food concessions was one of the most dissatisfying parts of their park experience.

"The survey results surprised us because we had no indication that the public wants food concessions in state parks," DLNR Chairman Peter Young said.

Officials said they hope not only to meet the needs of park visitors but to raise money for a park system that is financed at a level ranked at or near the bottom of all state park systems in the United States. Money from the concession contracts will go into a state parks special fund controlled by Legislature, with the intention that it be used for parks.

In February, the DLNR issued bids for mobile food concessions on O'ahu. Since June, two lunchwagons have been operating at Diamond Head State Monument and one at Nu'uanu Pali State Wayside.

'IAO VALLEY 'SHAME'

Officials now are seeking lunchwagon operators for selected parks (see list). Daniel Quinn, a state Parks Division chief, said parks were chosen that have the most visitors and the greatest potential to make money. Other parks may be considered in the future, he said, depending on the success of the program.

A plan to place a lunchwagon at the 'Iao Valley State Monument on Maui was pulled last week after cultural specialist Charles Kauluwehi Maxwell asked Young to drop it from the list.

Ten years ago, Maxwell led a demonstration at 'Iao to drive out a T-shirt seller, saying the activity desecrated a sacred place where 26 ancient Hawaiian kings and queens were buried.

"Nothing should be sold there," Maxwell said. "It will open up the door for lei sellers, coconut hat sellers and others. They'll think that if the state can do it, why not them.

"Every now and then this craziness comes up, and then we have to demonstrate when someone goes against our culture. That's a dirty shame."

NOT JUST ABOUT VISITORS

Kealoha Pisciotta, a Native Hawaiian activist on the Big Island, said the state should have held public hearings on the food concession proposal to determine whether any other culturally sensitive sites are being encroached upon.

Pisciotta said commercial activity can be expected to draw more tourists and could end up discouraging park use by residents.

"People should be asked whether the state should be encouraging more tourists in the parks," she said. "Look at Hanauma Bay. If there is too much tourist activity, it can drive the local people away.

"The problem is most of Hawai'i is dedicated to tourists. How much is dedicated to the people who live here?"

Jack Kelly, chairman of the state chapter of the Sierra Club, agreed. "Visitors may want (the vendors), but it's not all about the visitors," he said.

Kelly said the vendors may end up costing the state more than it gets in return, considering the additional rubbish cleanup needed and other impacts.

'DISNEY-FICATION' THREAT

Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club's Hawai'i chapter, said that while there may be a place for a "very limited" number of vendors in state parks, there are fears the activity will result in the "Disney-fication" of natural areas.

"Our parks are not only for tourists. They're for the locals," Mikulina said.

But Mary Evanson, a Maui environmental activist, said she doesn't see food concessions as a significant threat to most parks. The former O'ahu resident said she actually misses lunchwagons, which aren't as prevalent on Maui.

According to the state, lunchwagon operators must bid a minimum of $300 a month and either provide a portable restroom or agree to clean the park's existing facilities at least once a day.

Curtis Hong, owner of Blue Water Shrimp and Seafood, which was the successful bidder for the Pali concession and one at Diamond Head, said he pays more than $14,000 a month to the state for rent. He also makes sure he cleans up after customers and recycles bottles and cans.

"A lot of customers tell me that our prices are reasonable," Hong said. "We also provided the picnic tables here at Diamond Head and restrooms on the Pali that we maintain."

TOURISTS LIKE SERVICE

Tourists at the Pali Lookout last week expressed appreciation for the opportunity to buy cold beverages and snacks. At the Diamond Head Monument, some hikers were eating or sipping beverages purchased from a vending machine or the lunchwagon.

"We were hungry," said Susan Martini of Germany. "I don't see any conflict between the historic culture and the commercialism. It's a compromise."

After trekking to the top of Diamond Head, Nicole Gouguet of Oakland, Calif., stopped at the lunchwagon stationed at the lookout area outside the crater. "I don't see too many negatives," Gouguet said. "It's mobile and it provides liquids for people who go on a hike and get rehydrated."

On the Big Island, however, Jim Medeiros, a Kona farmer and Native Hawaiian leader, complained when he heard plans for a lunchwagon at historic Kealakekua Bay, site of Hikiau Heiau, a place of worship where priests offered reverence to Captain Cook in 1779, believing that he was the god Lono.

"The state is already making a circus down there," he said, referring to the state-permitted kayak tours. "What's next? Are they going to have an elevator to load them into the water?"