HANAPEPE, Kaua'i — The bodies of noted Ni'ihau shell lei maker Donald Hanelani Kanahele and his 20-year-old nephew were discovered Wednesday outside the wreckage of a rental car that had plunged over a cliff about 200 yards west of the Hanapepe Valley Lookout.

Family members had been concerned about the absence of the two Ni'ihau-born men since Saturday, but there was no indication of what might have happened to them until the pieces of a white Dodge sedan were located on the steep slope on the southern side of the island.

"They disappeared and they were both missing, day after day. We had no idea where they were," said Joseph Keoualani Kanahele of Koloa, brother of Donald Kanahele, 35, who lived in Kekaha. Family members identified the other victim as Jason Kawaimanaokalani Kanahele.

Relatives of the victims gathered yesterday, bringing flowers and balloons to the spot where Donald Kanahele's rented car left Kaumuali'i Highway and crossed a grassy area to crash through a barbed-wire fence and sail over the side of the 600-foot cliff.

"We will get through this. They are in a better place," said Luana Kaohelaulii of Ni'ihau and Kekaha, who is related to both men.

Assistant police chief Clayton Arinaga said there was no indication the driver tried to brake before going over the cliff. He said the vehicle was found in pieces scattered down the steep side of the rocky valley.

Jason Kanahele was described as a big-hearted, hard-working young man who drove a forklift for a living.

"All he had was love," one mourner said.

Donald Kanahele was a skilled craftsman in the rare art of weaving Ni'ihau shell lei. He invented the poepoe or rope weave for the small red, pink and brown kahelelani shells, and was the acknowledged master at creating the necklaces, Kaohelaulii said.

The two men had attended a funeral in Koloa during the day Saturday, but family members said they do not know what happened to them after that. On Wednesday morning, a resident spotted the wreckage and brought police and fire personnel to it.

Police believe the accident occurred as the car was traveling toward Hanapepe late Saturday or early Sunday.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.