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September 24, 2022 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kāʻanapali

When chief Kekaulike died, his younger son Kamehamehanui (uncle to Kamehameha I) was named heir to rule Maui. In 1738, Kauhi‘aimokuakama (Kauhi,) his older brother, began to wage war to win the title of ruling chief.

Battles were fought across West Maui, from Ukumehame to Honokowai.  Kamehamehanui engaged the forces of his uncle from Hawai‘i to fight with him, whose troops numbered over 8,000, and Kauhi brought troops of warriors from O‘ahu.

The war ended with the battle Koko O Nā Moku (“Bloodshed of the Islands.”) Over several days, the blood of fallen warriors from both sides flowed from a stream into the shorebreak and caused the ocean to turn red.  (Kamehamehanui won.) (Kāʻanapali Historical Trail)

This occurred in the moku (district) of Kāʻanapali (“divided cliffs.”)  A prominent feature noted at the beach is Pu‘u Kekaʻa (“the rolling hill”) – the outcrop that separates portions of the beach (commonly known as “Black Rock.”)

It was “ka leina a ka ‘uhane” – the place where a person’s soul left the earthly realm for the afterlife (these were usually at the westernmost point of the island.)

It was also a place for “lele kawa” (cliff jumping;) Kahekili gained respect from many warriors for his leaps from Pu‘u Kekaʻa, as most were frightened of the spirits who were in the area.  (Kāʻanapali Historical Trail)

The island of Maui is divided into twelve moku; Kāʻanapali, Lāhainā, Wailuku, Hāmākuapoko, Hāmākualoa, Koʻolau, Hāna, Kīpahulu, Kaupō, Kahikinui, Honuaʻula and Kula.

An area in the moku of Kāʻanapali is referred to as Nā Hono A Piʻilani (The Bays of Piʻilani (aka Honoapiʻilani.))  In the 1500s, Chief Piʻilani (“stairway to heaven”) unified West Maui and ruled in peace and prosperity.  His territory included the West Maui bays, a place he frequented.

From South to North, six of the identified bays are Honokōwai (bay drawing fresh water), Honokeana (cave bay), Honokahua (sites bay,) Honolua (two bays), Honokōhau (bay drawing dew) and Hononana (animated bay).

In the late-1800s and early-1900s there was a horse racing track (Koko O Na Moku Horse Racing Track) at Kāʻanapali Beach that stretched from the present day Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel to the present day Westin Maui Resort. Horse races ended in 1918.

In 1860, James Campbell started the Pioneer Mill Company; sugar cultivation proved to be very profitable.  He later sold his interest in the Mill and, after subsequent transfers, in 1960, Pioneer Mill Company became a wholly owned subsidiary of American Factors (Amfac – one of Hawaiʻi’s Big 5.)

Kāʻanapali was the terminus for the plantation railroad; a landing on the northerly side of Puʻu Kekaʻa with a wharf and off-shore moorings served as the primary loading spot for shipping processed sugar from the island and bringing in supplies for the plantation camps.

After the sugar industry’s peak in 1930, production, acreage in sugar and profits declined.  Seeing hard times ahead, Amfac took 1,200-acres of Pioneer Mill Company land out of cane to develop as a visitor resort destination (in 1999, Pioneer Mill closed its sugar operations.)

Then, a few years before Hawaiʻi became a state, before Maui County even had a mayor, in 1956, Pioneer Mill’s board of directors got together for a lūʻau on the beach near Puʻu Kekaʻa. There, they sketched out the whole Kāʻanapali Beach Resort master planning venture.  (mauitime-com)

Seven years later, the grand opening for the Sheraton (the second, following the Royal Lāhianā completed the year before) put Kāʻanapali on the map as a resort area and featured celebrities like Bing Crosby, golfer Sam Snead and then-California Governor Pat Brown. It was a groundbreaking place, in more ways than one.  (mauitime-com)

The land set-aside by Amfac became Hawaiʻi’s first master-planned resort.  When it opened in 1962, it became known as the Kāʻanapali Beach Resort.

Today, along its 3-mile coastline, this self-contained resort has over 5,000 hotel rooms, condominium suites, timeshares and villas; 2-championship golf courses (in 1962, Bing Crosby took the inaugural shot on the Royal Kāʻanapali Course) and 35-tennis courts.  It accommodates over half-a-million visitors each year.

Kāʻanapali Beach was ranked “Best Beach in America” in 2003 (Dr. Beach.)  A beach walk runs parallel with the sand the entire length of Kāʻanapali interconnecting the five major resort hotels and six condominiums and timeshares, as well as the numerous recreational, shopping, dining and other activities in the area.

Twenty-five years after it started, the Urban Land Institute recognized Kāʻanapali Beach Resort with an Award of Excellence for Large-Scale Recreational Development.

In the early years, Kāʻanapali Airport, built on an old coastal road in 1961, serviced the resort first by transporting workers and materials for the new development and then it brought guests in/out.

Take-offs and landings were a thrill for pilots and passengers; the Airport’s runway (01-19) started just 30-feet from the shoreline and extended north a short 2,615-feet.  Kahekili Beach Park now sits on the former Airport site.

The Airport was used exclusively by the commuter aircraft of Royal Hawaiian, initially using Cessna 402 aircraft.  In 1987, Hawaiian Airlines built the nearby Kapalua Airport; the State took over that facility in 1993.

They must be doing something right, Maui and the visitor destinations of Lāhainā-Kāʻanapali-Kapalua continue to lead the neighbor islands in room occupancy and they lead the state in average daily room (ADR) rates and revenue per available room (ADR x occupancy rate.)

At the same time properties like the Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel are recognized as Hawaii’s Most Hawaiian Hotel for demonstrating an ongoing responsibility, commitment and dedication to honoring and perpetuating the Hawaiian culture for generations to come.

© 2022 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Place Names, Economy Tagged With: Kaanapali Beach Resort Association, Kamehamehanui, Kekaulike, Hawaii, Kauhi, Maui, James Campbell, Piilani, Amfac, Na Hono A Piilani, Kaanapali, Pioneer Mill

December 15, 2021 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kāʻanapali Airport

“Pilots seldom forget interesting landing approaches.”

“Ask a former Royal Hawaiian pilot what his favorite airport was, and chances are he’ll say Kāʻanapali. For one thing, the field was short for a Cessna 402 – about 2,700 feet; short runways tend to decrease enthusiasm.”

“Secondly, there was the positioning of the field. Its asphalt runway began just beyond Kāʻanapali Beach and cut a narrow swath through high green cane fields.”

“No fence of substance separated runway from beach and there were times on short final when every pilot pulled her up just a tad for fear of giving some unsuspecting beachcomber a crewcut.”  (Forman)

Kāʻanapali was the terminus for the sugar plantation railroad; a landing on the northerly side of Puʻu Kekaʻa (Black Rock) with a wharf and off-shore moorings served as the primary loading spot for shipping processed sugar from the island and bringing in supplies for the plantation camps.

After the sugar industry’s peak in 1930, production, acreage in sugar and profits declined.  Seeing hard times ahead, in the early-1960s Amfac took 1,200-acres of Pioneer Mill Company land out of cane to develop as a visitor resort destination (in 1999, Pioneer Mill closed its sugar operations.)

The land set-aside by Amfac became Hawaiʻi’s first master-planned resort.  To transport workers and materials for the new development, an old coastal road was converted into a runway – this served as the foundation for Kāʻanapali Airport.

The Airport’s runway (01-19) started just 30-feet from the shoreline and extended north a short 2,615-feet.  The terminal building had a lounge on the second floor known as the Windsock.  (Up the winding staircase, the bar was run by ‘High School Harry’ Givens; business cards from around the world lined the walls.)

The Kāʻanapali airstrip was built by Amfac, Inc. at a cost of $40,000 to provide direct access to the developing resort area of Kāʻanapali. The Resort opened in 1961.

First the Royal Lāhainā, then the Sheraton opened at the Kāʻanapali Beach Resort.  The airport was then used to bring guests in/out.  Before a flight, the pilot would walk into the terminal and call out the passengers by name.

The Airport was used exclusively by the commuter aircraft of Royal Hawaiian Air Service (RHAS,) initially using Cessna 402 aircraft.

The strip, operated under a lease agreement, carried about 10,000 people in and out of Kāʻanapali a month by 1980 (passenger load peaked in 1983 with over 131,000 going in/out of Kāʻanapali that year.)  80,000-100,000 pounds of cargo was brought in monthly.

Amfac announced that it would close the airstrip on September 15, 1982 “as a necessary step in the planned development and viability of our Maui property and sugar interests.”  

Amfac made that decision after learning that Hawaiian Airlines planned to build an airport in West Maui.   The airport was closed on January 25, 1986.

In 1987, Hawaiian Airlines built the nearby Kapalua Airport; the State took over that facility in 1993.

Kahekili Beach Park now sits on the former Kāʻanapali Airport site.

In 2010, former pilots, RHAS employees and passengers gathered at the park to dedicate a plaque and reminisce about the oceanfront airport.

“Fresh tradewinds often challenged flight operations. It was exciting to arrive and depart at this short airstrip,” the monument’s plaque notes.  “Safety concerns eventually restricted access to only one operator: Royal Hawaiian Air Service (RHAS).”

Today, along its 3-mile coastline, Kāʻanapali Beach Resort is a self-contained resort with over 5,000 hotel rooms, condominium suites, timeshares and villas; 2-championship golf courses (in 1962, Bing Crosby took the inaugural shot on the Royal Kāʻanapali Course) and 35-tennis courts.  It accommodates over half-a-million visitors each year.

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Economy, Place Names Tagged With: Hawaii, Maui, Amfac, Kaanapali, Pioneer Mill, Royal Hawaiian Air Service, Kaanapali Historical Trail, Puu Kekaa, Kaanapali Beach Resort Association

November 4, 2021 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Honokahua

The traditional moku (district) of Kāʻanapali consisted of five major stream valleys Honokōwai, Kahana, Honokahua, Honolua and Honokōhau), all of which were extensively terraced for wet taro (loʻi) in early historic and later times.

Honokahua Valley has been described as having wet taro (loʻi) lands, although not in great abundance.  Sweet potatoes were reportedly grown between Honokōhau and Kahakuloa Ahupuaʻa, presumably on lower kula lands. South of Kapalua Resort, Kahana Ahupuaʻa, was known as a place of salt gathering for the people of Lāhainā.

There are six bays located on Maui’s west shore whose names begin with the word Hono. These bays and coves are collectively known as Hono a Piʻilani.  From South to North, six of the identified bays are Honokōwai (bay drawing fresh water), Honokeana (cave bay), Honokahua (sites bay,) Honolua (two bays), Honokōhau (bay drawing dew) and Hononana (animated bay).

The Kāʻanapali District is noted for an alaloa (a path or trail) that reportedly encircled the entire island. Walker wrote: “The north end of Maui also is traversed by a paved trail. Sections of it can be seen from Honolua to Honokōhau to Kahakuloa. It is paved with beach rocks and has a width of four to six feet.”  (PBR)

According to oral tradition, Piʻilani unified the entire island of Maui, bringing together under one rule the formerly-competing eastern (Hāna) and western (Wailuku) multi-district kingdoms of the Island.   In the 1500s, Chief Piʻilani (“stairway to heaven”) unified West Maui and ruled in peace and prosperity.  His territory included the six West Maui bays, a place he frequented.

Piʻilani’s prosperity was exemplified by a boom in agriculture and construction of heiau, fishponds, trails and irrigation systems.  Famed for his energy and intelligence, Piʻilani constructed the West Maui phase of the noted Alaloa, or long trail (also known as the King’s Highway.)

His son, Kihapiʻilani laid the East Maui section and connected the island.  This trail was the only ancient pathway to encircle any Hawaiian island (not only along the coast, but also up the Kaupō Gap and through the summit area and crater of Haleakalā.)

Four to six feet wide and 138-miles long, this rock-paved path facilitated both peace and war.  It simplified local and regional travel and communication, and allowed the chief’s messengers to quickly get from one part of the island to another.  The trail was used for the annual harvest festival of Makahiki and to collect taxes, promote production, enforce order and move armies.

Missionaries Richards, Andrews and Green noted in 1828, “a pavement said to have been built by Kihapiʻilani, a king … afforded us no inconsiderable assistance in traveling as we ascended and descended a great number of steep and difficult paries (pali.)” (Missionary Herald)

When chief Kekaulike died, his younger son Kamehamehanui (uncle to Kamehameha I) was named heir to rule Maui. In 1738, Kauhi‘aimokuakama (Kauhi,) his older brother, began to wage war to win the title of ruling chief.

Battles were fought across West Maui, from Ukumehame to Honokōwai.  Kamehamehanui engaged the forces of his uncle from Hawai‘i to fight with him, whose troops numbered over 8,000, and Kauhi brought troops of warriors from O‘ahu.

“What was this war like? It employed the unusual method in warfare of drying up the streams of Kaua‘ula, Kanaha and Mahoma (Kahoma – which is the stream near Lahainaluna.) The wet taro patches and the brooks were dried up so that there was no food for the forces of Ka-uhi or for the country people.”  (Kamakau)

“The hardest fighting, even compared with that at Napili and at Honokahua in Kāʻanapali, took place on the day of the attack at Puʻunene.”   (Kamakau)

The war ended with the battle Koko O Nā Moku (“Bloodshed of the Islands.”) Over several days, the blood of fallen warriors from both sides flowed from a stream into the shorebreak and caused the ocean to turn red.  (Kamehamehanui won.) (Kāʻanapali Historical Trail)

In 1765, Kahekili inherited all of Maui Nui and O‘ahu and was appointed successor to his brother Kamehamehanui’s kingdom (not to be confused with Hawai‘i Island’s Kamehameha I.)

Kapalua Resort is situated along this coast between Honokahua and Honokeana.

Agricultural use of the property for pineapple cultivation began in approximately 1912 when Honolua Ranch (which included the property) was converted from a cattle ranch into a pineapple plantation. By the 1920s, pineapple had been planted across West Maui from Miihinahina ahupua’a to Kahakuloa ahupua’a A cannery was built in Honokahua in 1914 and, in 1923, Honolua Ranch became Baldwin Packers, Ltd.

In 1962, Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. was formed when Baldwin Packers merged with Maui Pineapple Company. Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc., created the wholly-owned subsidiary named Kapalua Land Company, Ltd., which conceived of and developed the master-planned Kapalua Resort featuring the Kapalua Bay Hotel at the shore of Honokahua ahupuaʻa. The hotel opened in 1978, beginning the change of the former ranch and pineapple lands of Honokahua into a world-class destination resort complex.

Starting in 1987, to prepare for proposed ocean-side construction of the Ritz Carlton at Kapalua more than 900 ancestral native Hawaiian burials were excavated from sand dunes at Honokahua, Maui.  When the extent of the burials became more widely known, native Hawaiians from around the state staged protests.

Eventually a plan was devised in September 1989 for the proper reburial of the native Hawaiian remains disinterred.  Associated with that, the state paid $6-million for a perpetual preservation easement and restoration of the burial site.  A 14-acre site is now a historical and cultural landmark.

In addition, as a result of this, Hawaiʻi’s burial treatment law, passed in 1990, gives unmarked burials, most of which are native Hawaiian, the same protection as modern cemeteries. The law:

  • Burial Sites Program was set up within DLNR’s Historic Preservation Division
  • Burial Councils were set up at Kaua’i-Ni’ihau, O’ahu, Maui-Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi and Big Island
  • Procedures to deal with the inadvertent discovery of human skeletal remains were established
  • If human remains are found during a construction project, construction, there stops and if the remains appear to have been buried 50 or more years, procedures were established to preserve them in place or relocate them
  • Provided penalties for unauthorized alteration, excavation or destruction of unmarked burial sites

“Honokahua changed the history of Hawaiʻi. They have set precedent that we will never ever go back to this complacency and complete disregard for the iwi of our kupuna. Honokahua has created the laws, Honokahua is the law, this stands as the kahili (feather standard, a sign of royalty) for all burial sites from here on to perpetuity. This is the battleground, this is the piko (navel, umbilical cord) of these new laws.”  (Naeole, DLNR)

Now, Kapalua at Honokahua includes The Ritz-Carlton, the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay, the Kapalua Spa, eight residential subdivisions, two championship golf courses (The Bay and The Plantation,) ten-court tennis facilities, several restaurants, and over 800 condominiums, single-family homes and residential lots.  (In 2006, the Kapalua Bay Hotel was taken down.)  Fleming Beach Park is at Honokahua Bay.

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

 

 

Filed Under: Place Names, Economy Tagged With: Kapalua, Honolua, Kaanapali, Honokahua, Kekaulike, Kauhi, Hawaii, Baldwin Packers, Maui, Kahekili, Na Hono A Piilani, Maui Land and Pineapple

May 11, 2020 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Sport of Kings, the King of Sports

Most horse races last about two minutes.

An average racehorse’s stride length is 20-21 feet long, while an elite racehorse may have a stride length of 24 feet. Racehorses will take up to 150 strides per minute and their stride frequency is synchronized with breathing frequency. (Kansas State University)

The heart is one of the horse’s strengths in racing. The size of a volleyball, or basketball in elite horses, the average horse’s heart weighs approximately 10 pounds. An elite racehorse’s heart may weigh more than 20 pounds and pump more than 75 gallons of blood per minute during a race. (Kansas State University)

It’s not clear when the first horse race took place – some suggest racing dates back to 4500 BC. On the continent, following the lead from our friends in the UK, horse racing dates back to 1665, with the establishment of the Newmarket course in Salisbury Plains section of the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York.

By the turn of the last century, horse racing surpassed all other spectator sports in popularity. And it grew, as noted in the headline of the April 30, 1953 New York Times, “Racing Now Virtual King of Sports, Topping Baseball in Gate Appeal; Horse Racing Tops Baseball At Gate”.

Horse racing, which used to be called the sport of kings, was threatening to become the king of sports. (NY Times, 1953) It is suggested it is nicknamed the ‘Sport of Kings’ because the original patrons of the sport in Europe were members of monarchies, or were closely related to those who were.

So, what about horse racing in the Islands? It had a kingly start here, as well.

June 21, 1803 marked an important day in Hawaiʻi horse history when the Lelia Byrd, an American ship under Captain William Shaler, arrived at Kealakekua Bay with two mares and a stallion on board – they were gifts for King Kamehameha I.

The captain left one of the mares with John Young (a trusted advisor of the King, who begged for one of the animals) then left for Lāhainā, Maui to give the mare and stallion to Kamehameha.

It’s not clear when the first horse race occurred in Hawaiʻi. An early account of a race occurred in the Polynesian on March 6, 1858, “… a horse race came off on the Waikiki race ground between Mr. MM Webster’s bay horse “Eclipse” and Mr. Kaikainahaole’s sorrel horse name unknown, for $350 aside. The outside betting was very spirited … (t)he crowd of spectators of all degrees and classes could not have been short of a thousand”. (The judges declared a “no race” and all bets were off.)

Later, King Kamehameha V, held a celebration on his birthday, December 11, 1871, to honor Kamehameha I; “a public celebration was held with horse-riding and other sports.” The date later moved to June 11, because of the better weather, and celebrated chiefly by horse races in Kapiʻolani Park, but the races eventually gave way to today’s parades of floats and pāʻū riders (that date became Kamehameha Day.)

Later, King Kalākaua dedicated Kapiʻolani Park to allow “families, children, and quiet people” to find “refreshment and recreation” in the “kindly influences of nature,” and to be a “place of innocent refreshment.”

An important part of the initial park was its oval horse race track. King Kalākaua reportedly liked gambling on horse racing and in 1872 he helped form The Hawaiian Jockey Club (this organized the sport according to the rules that governed races elsewhere.) (Kapiʻolani Park’s racetrack closed in 1926.)

This wasn’t Hawaiʻi’s only horse race track.

In the late-1800s and early-1900s there was a horse racing track (Koko O Na Moku Horse Racing Track) at Kāʻanapali Beach that stretched from the present day Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel to the present day Westin Maui Resort. Races, there, ended in 1918.

The Maui County Fair & Horse Racing Association developed the old permanent Fairgrounds on Puʻunene Avenue in Kahului; the Fairgrounds included a horse-racing track. The first County Fair was held in 1918.

In 1939, the Oʻahu Jockey Club built the Kailua Race Track, on the Windward side. In a day and age when Seabiscuit and War Admiral were stealing Mainland sports headlines, more than 6,000 fans turned out for 10 races at the brand new Kailua Race Track. (Hogue, MidWeek) Races there reportedly continued to 1952.

Colonel Zephaniah Spalding built a race track at Waipouli on Kauaʻi in about 1880. His polo playing son, James Spalding, built the polo field inside the race track about 1915. A June 1920 The Garden Island noted: “HORSE PLAY – Saturday, July 3rd will be a big day at Waipouli race track. The morning will be devoted to horse races, of which a splendid program has been arranged. In the afternoon there will be a polo game between the Reds and the Blues.”

Hilo had a track at the Hoʻolulu Park; it was started in 1900 as a horse track, with a circular half-mile loop, and used for other events such as baseball. A grandstand was built in 1925 and nighttime baseball games started in 1928. (Narimatsu) After the 1946 tsunami, it was used as an evacuation center where folks impacted by the tsunami who were tended by the Red Cross workers.

Later, the Honolulu Record noted (June 19, 1958,) “The first horse races in several years were held at the Hoolulu Park race track on Kamehameha Day. The Hawaii Paniola Club sponsored the program. A crowd of some 1,600 fans saw the 19 races run off. Proceeds from the show went to the Big Isle chapter of the Hawaii Cancer Fund.”

Finally, we cannot overlook the track and rodeo facility at Parker Ranch in Waimea on the Big Island. Parker was “importing horses from the finest Mainland and English racing lines to develop the thoroughbred breed in Hawaii … as a result, the thoroughbreds racing today in Hawaii are of the same top blood lines as the prize horses in the United States and England.”

The ranch opened its race track in about 1947; over the years, races consisted of a series of races (relays, quarter mile grade, three-eighths and three-quarter mile thoroughbred.)

Every 4th of July and Labor Day, Parker Ranch continues to host its races and rodeo for thousands of participants, as well as other events throughout the year.

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© 2020 Hoʻokuleana LLC

kailua-race-track-sign-(KHS)
Kailua-Horse_Racing-(honolulumagazine)-Sept1945
Kailua-town_horse_castle-(KainaluES)
Kailua-Aerial-(2442)-1952-(portion)
Kahului-UH_Manoa-USGS-(4785)-1965-portion_noting-Kahului_Track
Wailua-UH-Manoa-USGS-(3148)-1950-area of Waipouli Track is noted
Waikik-(USGS-UH-Manoa)-(2420)-1952-(portion-you_can_still_see_alignment_of_the_track)
Waikik-(USGS-UH-Manoa)-(2420)-1952-(portion-you_can_still_see_alignment_of_the_race_track)
Waipouli_Race_Track_and_Polo_Field-1924
Waipouli_Race_Track_and_Polo_Field-Program-1924
Waipouli Horse Race Track-Kauai
Parker Ranch-Walter Stevens (out front)grabs the baton from partner, Mark Yamaguchi-(WaimeaGazette)-1997
Parker Ranch-Races
Kapiolani-Waikiki-Kaneloa-Kapiolani_Park-Monsarrat-Reg1079 (1883)
Kapiolani-People in the stands at a horse race-(waikikivisitor-com)
Kapiolani-Park-Racetrack
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Kapiolani-Man riding a bike on the Kapi‘olani race track-(waikikivisitor-com)
Kapiolani-Horse races were a popular activity at Kapi‘olani Park-(waikikivisitor-com)
Kapiolani_Park-1900
Kapiolani_Park_Association-Stock_Certificate-(kapiolani_park-a_history)
Kapiolani_Horse_Racing-Ad
Kapiolani_Horse_Racing_Ad
Kailua_Race_Track-(KHS)-1938
Kailua_Aerial-1945
Kahului_Fairgrounds-Track-Akira Ishikawa-jockey-(star-bulletin)
Kahului_Fairgrounds-program-(wolfgangsvault)
Kaanapali's Koko O Na Moku Horse Racing Track (closed in 1918)
Horse_Shoer-Ad
Horse_Racing-Challenge-Ad
Hoolulu-Hilo-(USGS-UH_Manoa)-(1675)-1954-(portion_noting_Hoolulu_Track)
Hoolulu_Park-Racing-(eBay)

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Horse, Parker Ranch, Hoolulu, Kaanapali, Kamehameha Day, Kapiolani Park, Hawaii, Kailua

October 31, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Nā Hono A Pi‘ilani

In northwest Maui, the district the ancients called Kaʻānapali, there are six hono bays (uniting of the bays,) which are legendary:  from South to North, Honokōwai (bay drawing fresh water), Honokeana (cave bay), Honokahua (sites bay,) Honolua (two bays), Honokōhau (bay drawing dew) and Hononana (animated bay).

All were extensively terraced for wet taro (loʻi) in early historic and later times. Honokahua Valley has been described as having loʻi lands. Sweet potatoes were reportedly grown between the Honokohau and Kahakuloa Ahupuaʻa.

Collectively, these picturesque and productive bays are called Nā Hono A Piʻilani, The Bays of Piʻilani (aka Honoapiʻilani.)

In the 1500s, Chief Piʻilani (“stairway to heaven”) unified West Maui and ruled in peace and prosperity.  His territory included the six West Maui bays, a place he frequented.

He ruled from the Royal Center in Lāhaina, where he was born (and died.)  His residence was at Moku‘ula.

During his reign, Piʻilani gained political prominence for Maui by unifying the East and West of the island, elevating the political status of Maui.

Piʻilani’s power eventually extended from Hāna on one end of the island to the West at Nā Hono A Piʻilani, in addition to the islands visible from Honoapiʻilani – Kahoʻolawe, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.

Piʻilani’s prosperity was exemplified by a boom in agriculture and construction of heiau, fishponds, trails and irrigation systems.

Famed for his energy and intelligence, Piʻilani constructed the West Maui phase of the noted Alaloa, or long trail (also known as the King’s Highway.)

His son, Kihapiʻilani laid the East Maui section and connected the island.  This trail was the only ancient pathway to encircle any Hawaiian island (not only along the coast, but also up the Kaupo Gap and through the summit area and crater of Haleakalā.)

Four to six feet wide and 138 miles long, this rock-paved path facilitated both peace and war.  It simplified local and regional travel and communication, and allowed the chief’s messengers to quickly get from one part of the island to another.

The trail was used for the annual harvest festival of Makahiki and to collect taxes, promote production, enforce order and move armies.

Missionaries Richards, Andrews and Green noted in 1828, “a pavement said to have been built by Kihapiilani, a king … afforded us no inconsiderable assistance in traveling as we ascended and descended a great number of steep and difficult paries (pali.)” (Missionary Herald)

Today, Lower Honoapiʻilani Road and parts of Route 30 (Honoapiʻilani Highway) near the beach approximately trace the route of the ancient Alaloa (parts of the Alaloa were destroyed by development and sugar plantation uses.)

On the East side, portions of the Road to Hāna are a remnant of this 16th century coastal footpath, also known in this area as the King’s Highway, King Kiha-a-pi‘ilani Trail or even Kipapa o Kiha-a-pi’ilani (the pavement of Kiha-a-pi’ilani.)

Some beaches on the east side of the Alaloa along Route 360 were often used to cross gulches, since there were no bridges.  It has also been reported that travelers would swing across the streams on ropes or vines, or climbed across the cliffs.

Around 1759, Kalaniʻōpuʻu (King of the Big Island) captured Hāna and held it for a couple decades; the footpath fell into disrepair.  In 1780, Kahekili, the King of North Maui, retook Hāna, made improvements and reopened the trail.

It was accessible only by foot until around 1900; likewise, travel by canoe, and later other vessels, provided access from Hāna to other parts of Maui.

The ancient trails have typically been covered by modern highways and other development and only a few remnants of the King’s Highway remain.

Honoapiʻilani Highway, around the western edge of West Maui, and the Pi‘ilani Highway, along the Kihei coast, remain the namesakes for Piʻilani.

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Na_Hono_A_Piilani-GoogleEarth
Kekaa Pt. to Kahakuloa Pt.-NOAA-UH-Manoa-3269-1912
Alaloa-beyond Keoneoio (La Perouse Bay)
Hoapili Trail-(NPS)
Hoapili_Trail-Honuaula-(Project_Kaeo)-(Horse-Cart-1824-1834)
Hoapili_Trail-Kanaloa_Point
Hoapili_Trail-Kula_Honuaula_Kahikinui_Kaupo-(Project_Kaeo)-(Horse-Cart-1824-1834)
Hoapili_Trail-LaPerouse_Bay
Hoapili_Trail-LaPerouse-Bay
Kahekili-one-lane-no-guardrail-North
Kings Highway footpath between Wainopoli State Park and Town of Hana-Hana Belt Road-(LOC)-219754pv
Kings Highway footpath from O Hale Hei au - Hana Belt Road-(LOC)-219756pv
Kings Highway footpath showing rounded rocks laid into lava bed - Hana Belt Road-(LOC)-219755pv
Maui_Alaloa
Maui-Alaloa
Na Hono A Piilani-Alaloa
Piilani Highway low along the cliffs, just southwest of the highway's end at the Kalepa Bridge

Filed Under: Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance, Hawaiian Traditions Tagged With: Kahekili, Lahaina, Piilani, Kalaniopuu, Hana, Na Hono A Piilani, Kaanapali, Kihapiilani, Honoapiilani, Hawaii, Mokuula, Maui

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