Yes, that really was a five-foot-wide agricultural drone hovering above Iraivan Temple—no, your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you! And no, it wasn’t lost on its way to a pineapple farm. Let us explain.
In our lush, tropical paradise, even gold needs a little TLC. Though it’s famously resistant to rust, tarnish and decay, the tropics are home to some very determined microscopic critters that just love humidity. They don’t care if it’s 23-karat gold—they’ll settle in anyway!
To keep them at bay, we’ve been applying an anti-mold treatment a few times a year. In the past, this meant renting a huge cherry-picker to reach the soaring towers and golden flagpoles. Effective? Sometimes. Expensive and finicky? Always.
Enter: the drone.
Thanks to the Aloha Aina Drone company from Maui, we’ve found a high-tech solution. Their team brought in a specially outfitted agricultural drone and treated Iraivan’s five gilded towers and two stunning gold flagpoles with two gentle, gleaming coats of protective liquid. Think of it as an airborne abhishekam—but instead of milk and rosewater, it’s mold-defense magic from above.
The best part? It worked beautifully—and instantly. The towers glistened. The flagpoles gleamed. And we all breathed a sigh of relief (and maybe a bit of awe).
With this drone-powered approach, we now have a fast, affordable, and frankly cool way to care for the temple’s golden features. Expect to see our airborne helper buzzing by every few months, keeping Iraivan as radiant as ever.
Who says tradition and technology can’t work together in perfect harmony?