Puaka‘ilima

Aia e ka nani i Puaka‘ilima
Kēlā ‘ailana noho i ke kai
(There is beauty in Puaka‘ilima
That island that nestles in the sea)

No kai ka makani la a he Kona
Haiha‘i lau la‘au o ka uka…
(From the sea comes the Kona wind
Tearing the leaves from the trees from the upland…)
(Hula dedicated to Queen Emma, Kimo Keaulana, Adv Mar 2, 2001)

“The name of the village Toeaigh [Kawaihae] was by us extended to the Bay, (which is the same that had been called by Captain King Toeayahha bay,) since the natives give no distinctive name to any part of the ocean that washes the shores of their islands.”

“Such bays, coves, &c. as are so distinguished, having been named by their European visitors from the contiguous villages or districts.”

“Toeaigh is situated in a grove of cocoa-nut trees, just behind a sandy beach. A reef of coral rocks, extending thence about three quarters of a mile into the sea, rendered it inaccessible to our boats in a direct line …”

“… but we landed very commodiously in a narrow channel, between the reef and the shore, near the morai [heiau], to the S.E. of the beach, from whence we had about two miles to walk to the habitation of Kahowmotoo [Ke‘eaumoku].” (Vancouver, Vol II)

“About two hundred huts compose the town of Toyai [Kawaihae]; they are low, small, and badly covered. Many of them are not more six or eight feet in length. The people who inhabit them will however bear no comparison with those whom we saw at Karakakooa [Kealakekua].” (Arago, letter CXV)

“The surf of Kapuailima is in Kawaihae, and Kahaleula is in Mahaiula. Honokohau has a surf, and there are others in the various districts of the island of Hawaii.” (John Papa ‘Ī’i)

“Mr. [Solomon] Akau describes Pua ka ‘Ilima as a wave which comes around the end of the year, November through March: ‘Pua ka ‘Ilima is a wave…a small wave that used to come over the reef, it used to come inside.’”

“‘It comes in from the west to the east. …We watch it really come slowly. It’s not the kine that [fast]; it is slow, because the Kawaihae reef at one time was enormous and then they dredged it out…Pua ka ‘Ilima is not there anymore; it’s gone.’” (Akau, Cultural Surveys)

“[A] small island in the bay fell victim to an April Fool’s Day tidal wave. This island was named Puaka‘ilima. According to Kimo Alama, ‘ilima was once grown there for the purpose of making lei for royalty – hence the island’s name.”

“‘The tidal wave of 1946 collapsed this island and it is said that the surf of the Ka‘ewa (the name of the surf at Kawaihae) resembles that of ‘ilima leis once strung for royalty there’”,

“Manu Boyd and Kawehi Lucas have told me that Puaka‘ilima is also remembered by their Kohala families as a favorite surfing spot of Kamehameha I.” (Kīhei de Silva; Kaʻiwakīloumoku, KSBE)

“The tsunami which devastated the shores of the Hawaiian Islands on April 1, 1946, was caused by a movement of the sea bottom on the northern slope of the Aleutian Trough, south of Unimak Island. … The movement also gave rise to a violent earthquake which was recorded on seismographs all over the world.”

“At the [Kawaihae] wharf the waves rose on shore to a height of 12 feet above sea level. The third wave is reported to have been the largest. “Between the waves, and reportedly before the first wave, recession of the water uncovered the reef for 1,000 feet offshore, the lowering of water level being estimated by one observer as about 20 feet below normal sea level.”

“The old wharf was almost completely demolished, even pilings being carried away. However, the new wharf, which stood much higher above water, was unharmed. Many blocks of coral several feet across were thrown up onto the reef, and one about 3 feet in diameter was carried to the roadway 5 feet above sea level.”

“For half a mile south of the wharf, houses along the shore, inside a half-mile-broad reef, were damaged or destroyed. However, these houses were built less than 5 feet above sea level.”

“At the park at the southern end of Kawaihae the water rose 10 feet, but it caused no damage there because all structures were on higher ground. Several waves were observed, the fourth being the largest. The water withdrew far out from shore between the waves.” (Shepard, Macdonald, & Cox: Tsunami of April 1, 1946)

“No lives were lost at Kawaihae. However, fishponds in the harbor area were filled with debris, which wiped out commercial fishing activity there. According to a synopsis of oral historic interviews in Hammatt et al. the tsunami ‘was the beginning of the end for the Kawaihae Fishing Village. People left.’” (Cultural Surveys)

Most historical mapping of Kawaihae does not show islands in and around Kawaihae; except one of those I found (but that one does not name the Islands).

Louis-Isidore Duperrey of the French Royal Navy was part of Louis de Freycinet’s second circumnavigation on the Uranie. Jacques Arago (quoted above) was on the same expedition. Duperrey shows two Islands at Kawaihae; the southern one is offshore the vicinity of the Pu‘ukohola Heiau – and could very well be a representation of the referenced Islet of Puaka‘ilima.

But the Puaka‘ilima place name continues … “In 1992, Tiger Espere, a well-known surfer and water man created the ‘Tiger Espere Longboard Classic’ surfing contest. [I]t has brought together surfers from this island and other areas in the state to compete in an atmosphere of friendship and fun.”

“Additionally, it has given many of us the awareness of the importance of this area, both as a recreational reserve and an historical/cultural resource.”

“Through Tiger Espere’s efforts and leadership, the dream to create a cultural surf park at the breakwater site has become a reality. Senate Resolution No. 10, a ‘Senate Concurrent Resolution Urging That The Pua Ka ilima‘O Kawaihae Be Designated A Site For Recreational, Educational And Cultural Activities’ was passed in [1997].” (Barclay, Waimea Gazette)

Link to The Pua Ka ilima ‘O Kawaihae Video: https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/Pua-Ka-Ilima-O-Kawaihae-Surf-Park.mp4