Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Anuenue

It was created by the filling of the reef flats during incremental dredging of Honolulu harbor and Ke‘ehi lagoon. The village of Kou, inland of it, had a long history of settlement. It originally consisted of marginal sandy lands on an elevated coral reef platform named Kahololoa.

For a time it was called Anuenue Island; that changed in 1969 when a proclamation by the Governor declared the Island shall be named Sand Island. One of the few lasting legacies of the Island’s former name is Anuenue Fisheries Research Center (AFRC,) a base yard, hatchery and culture center for DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources – it’s still operating on the Island.

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Maika

David Malo gives us the following lesson on Maika, or Ulu Maika. When people wanted the excitement of betting they hunted up the men who were powerful in rolling the maika stone, and every man made his bet on the one whom he thought to be the strongest player. The experts also studied the physique […]

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Richards Street

Some suggest it was named after missionary William Richards (later, advisor to King Kamehameha III – instructor in law, political economy and the administration of affairs generally;) others note it was named for a man selling luggage to tourists in his shop on that street. One thing is certain, in looking at early maps of […]

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Honolulu Described in the First Decade of the Unified Hawaiian Islands

1810 marked the unification of the Hawaiian Islands under single rule when negotiations between King Kaumuali‘i of Kaua‘i and Kamehameha I at Pākākā took place.  Kaumuali‘i ceded Kauaʻi and Ni‘ihau to Kamehameha and the Hawaiian Islands were unified under a single leader.  There was peace in the Islands. On the American and European continents, war […]

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Size Matters

Downtown Honolulu used to be known as Kou, a district roughly encompassing the area from Nuʻuanu Avenue to Alakea Street and from Hotel Street to Queen Street (which, then, was the edge of the waterfront) – essentially the heart of the present downtown. Honolulu Harbor, known as Kuloloia, was entered by the first foreigner, Captain […]