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November 1, 2022 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kai‘ahulu

In the legend of Pele and Hi’iaka, Hi’iaka, the sister of the volcano goddess Pele, travels around the islands. In one instance, Hi‘iaka’s canoe is beached on the sands of Mokulē‘ia Hi‘iaka leaves her companions to pay her respects to her ancestor, Pohaku-o-Kauai, and to her ancestral divinity Ka‘ena.

She passes Ka‘ena Point on O‘ahu, and enters the hot and arid region of Waialua. As she climbs up into the Wai‘anae Mountains above the lands of Keālia and Kawaihāpai, she offers the following chant:

Kunihi Kaena, holo i ka malie:
Wela i ka La ke alo o ka pali;
Auamo mai i ka La o Kilauea;
Ikiiki i ka La na Ke-awa-ula,
Ola i ka makani Kai-a-ulu Kohola-leleHe
makani ia no lalo

Ka’ena’s profile fleets through the calm,
With flanks ablaze in the sunlight –
A furnace heat like Kilauea;
Ke-awa-ula shelters in heat;
Kohala-lele revives in the breeze,
That breath from the sea, Kai-a-ulu.

Recorded accounts of early foreign explorers gives an indication of what pre-contact Hawai‘i was like.  After the death of Captain James Cook on the Island of Hawai‘i, the crew of the Resolution sailed to O‘ahu.  Captain Charles Clerke, after anchoring in Waimea Bay, describes the highly populated and lush northwest coast of O‘ahu:

“I stood into a Bay just to the Wtward [Westward] of this point the Eastern Shore of which was by far the most beautifull Country we have yet seen among these Isles, here was a fine expanse of Low Land bounteously cloath’d with Verdure, on which were situate many large Villages and extensive plantations;”

“… at the Water side it terminated in a fine sloping, sand Beach . . . This Bay, its Geographical situation consider’d is by no means a bad Roadsted, being sheltered from the NEbN [Northeast by North] SEterly [Southeasterly] to SWbW [Southwest by West] with a good depth of Water and a fine firm sandy Bottom; it lays on the NW [Northwest] side of this Island of Wouahoo [O‘ahu] … surrounded by a fine pleasant fertile Country.”

In 1813 , Waialua was described by John Whitman, an early missionary visitor, as: … a large district on the N.E. extremity of the island, embracing a large quantity of taro land, many excellent fishing grounds and several large fish ponds one of which deserves particular notice for its size and the labour bestowed in building the wall which encloses it.”

Another missionary, Levi Chamberlain, described the vicinity of Kawaihāpai in 1826: “At 11 o’ck we set out and walked along a path leading over an extended plain covered with high grass. “

“After walking about 3 miles we took a path leading over a marshy tract to the mountains which we were designing to cross in order that we might avoid a bad piece of traveling along the western shore. The mountains here run in nearly a N.W. and N.E. direction being somewhat circular.”

“We ascended by a rough & difficult path, shrubs, long grass, wild plants and bushes sprung up grew luxuriantly among the rocks being plentifully moistened by little streams which trickled down the steep sides of the mountains.”

“After ascending several hundred feet, we came to a beautiful little run of water conducted by sprouts furnishing sufficient moisture for a number of taro patches below.”

“I was told that the water never failed and the district into which it passes is called Kawaihapai (Water lifted Up) on account of the water’s being conducted from such an elevation.”

“The prospect from the acclivity is very fine. The whole district of Waialua is spread out before the eye with its cluster of settlements, straggling houses, scattering trees, cultivated plats & growing in broad perspectives the wide extending ocean tossing its restless waves and throwing in its white foaming billows fringing the shores all along the whole extent of the district.” (Cultural Surveys)

As early as the 1840s, cattle were known to have grazed on the lowlands of Waialua. In 1897, B.F. Dillingham purchased the Kawailoa Ranch in Mokulē‘ia. The ranch included over 2,000 head of cattle and over a hundred horses and mules on 10,000-acres of land.

Dillingham also leased additional property in Mokulē‘ia, including the Gaspar Silva Ranch, the James Gay Estate, and other lands in the area that he could secure.

Dillingham’s plan was to later sublease or sell the land at a profit, as the lands had potential for being developed into large-scale sugar plantations. He anticipated the land would become valuable once extensive irrigation systems were in place, and when the O’ ahu Railway and Land Co. (O.R. & L.) railroad was constructed around Ka‘ena Point and along the north shore to Kahuku.

By 1898, the O.R. & L railroad was constructed through the Waialua District, with stations in both Kawaihāpai and Mokulē’ia. Soon thereafter, Dillingham began selling off or subleasing much of his lands in western Waialua.

Also in 1898, the Halstead Brothers had a small sugar cane plantation and mill at Waialua town.  Dillingham believed that the Halstead Brothers’ land could be turned into a profitable sugar plantation, especially since there was now a rail line to Honolulu.

The Waialua Agricultural Company was established in 1898 by JB Atherton, ED Tenney, BF Dillingham, WA Bowen, H Waterhouse and MR Robinson, and was incorporated by the company Castle & Cooke.

They bought the Halstead Brothers’ land and mill, and began to buy or lease the adjacent lands.  By the early 1900s, sugarcane plantations and large ranches came to dominate the lands of western Waialua.

The Makaleha Stream empties into a large bay called Kai‘ahulu (“the foamy sea”) located makai of the Mokulē‘ia Polo Field. Kapala‘au Stream (“the wooden fence”) is also known to flow into Kai‘ahulu Bay.

Tenney bought some land on the water, here, and built a house.  In a letter to Castle & Cooke VP FC Atherton, Tenney wrote, “My beach place at Mokuleia, Waialua, commonly known aa Kaiahulu was the source of much pleasure to Mrs. Tenney, she took particular delight on entertaining her friends there.”

“With her passing, I would like to deed this place to Castle & Cooke, Ltd for its employees, to be used by them primarily as a place where they can spend week-ends and periods during their vacation.  This, I feel, would insure the continued use of the property as a means of providing recreation and pleasure to others.”

Today, near the sandy point that forms the eastern boundary of Kai‘ahulu Bay is a recreational area for the business firm of Castle and Cooke. The land was bequeathed to the company by Edward Tenney, an employee for many years, and was set aside for the use of Castle and Cooke personnel. (John Clark)

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Filed Under: Economy, Place Names, Prominent People Tagged With: Castle and Cooke, OR&L, Kaiahulu, Edward Tenney, Waialua

June 30, 2022 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kapaeloa

The literal translation for the moku (district) of Waialua is “two” (lua) “water(s)” (wai), which may be a reference to the pair of major streams that empty into its two main bays (Waialua and Kaiaka.)  An alternative interpretations of the meaning of Waialua suggest a particular lo‘i (irrigated taro patch,) a specific place called Kemo‘o and a cruel ancient chief named Waia.

Others suggest, “Waia, grandson of Wākea was said to be a cruel chief. He cared nothing of the gods or of doing good. He had men and women killed for the fun of killing them. When he saw a maiden with shapely legs, he ordered them cut off and if a man or a woman had beautiful tatooing he was put to death. … Waia lived and practised evil deeds at Waialua – as such, the place was named for him Waia-lua (Doubly disgraceful.)”  (Handy & Pukui)

“For the 28 generations from Hulihonua (the first man in the ancient Hawaiian past) to Wākea, no man was made chief over another. During the 25 generations from Wākea to Kapawa, various noted deeds are mentioned in the traditions and well-known stories.  Kapawa was the first chief to be set up as a ruling chief. This was at Waialua, Oʻahu; and from then on, the group of Hawaiian Islands became established as chief-ruled kingdoms”. (Kamakau)

Historic evidence indicates a fishing village, or a scattering of small fishing villages, extending from the west side of Waimea Bay back towards Waialua. This area along the coast and inland was known as Kāpaeloa (it’s in Waialua, and shares a boundary with Waimea ahupuaʻa that is in the moku of Koʻolauloa.)

In times past, Kāpaeloa may have been an ahupuaʻa; however, in later references (ie LCAs) Kāpaeloa is considered an ‘ili (land division smaller than an ahupua‘a) of either Kawailoa or (in the early-nineteenth century) Kamananui ahupua‘a.

The area is a relatively dry place, generally unsuitable for wet-taro cultivation, but ideal for its access to marine resources and deep-sea fisheries.  Any cultivation would have been limited to small gardens – families likely exchanged marine resources for other foodstuffs, such as taro, with farmers from nearby areas.

Here and in close proximity are four significant sites: Kūpopolo, a large heiau (temple;) Keahuohāpu’u, a fish-attracting shrine on a rocky point; Kaʻahakiʻi a tongue-shaped stone marking the ahupua‘a boundary between Waimea and Kawailoa; and Pu‘u o Mahuka Heiau at Pūpūkea.

This area, and some of the sites above are associated with Kaʻōpulupulu the last O‘ahu born Kahuna Nui (supreme spiritual leader) of the island.

In 1773, a leadership change was decided on Oʻahu where Kahahana would replace Kūmahana; this was the second chief to be elected (rather than conquest or heredity) to succeed to the leadership of Oʻahu, the first being Māʻilikūkahi who was his ancestor.  Kaʻōpulupulu was Waimea’s presiding priest and served Kahahana.

A story says Kahahana asked Kaʻōpulupulu to determine whether the gods approved of him, and whether the island of Kaua‘i would surrender if he invaded its shores. Kaʻōpulupulu requested that a temple be built where he could “speak to the great chief Kekaulike (of Kaua‘i) through the thoughts of the great akua Mahuka.”

At first, Heiau Kūpopolo was built on the beach of Waimea Bay; however, when Kaʻōpulupulu used it, he received no answer from Kaua‘i. It was thought the temple was in the wrong location.

Off shore of this area is Wānanapaoa, a small group of islets.  Several believe they were so named (Wānanapaoa literally translates to “unsuccessful prophecy”) because Kūpopolo heiau there did not live up to its intended function.

Because the kahuna believed that “thoughts are little gods, or kupua, that travel in space, above the earth … they fly freely as soaring birds,” he had another heiau, Puʻu O Mahuka built high on the cliffs. From there, Kaʻōpulupulu sent out thought waves, and the answer quickly returned – Kaua‘i wished for peace.  (Johnson; OHA)

“At that time, Kahekili was plotting for the downfall of Kahahana and the seizure of Oʻahu and Molokaʻi, and the queen of Kauaʻi was disposed to assist him in these enterprises.”  (Kalākaua)

Kahekili deceived Kahahana by having him believe Kaʻōpulupulu had offered the government and throne of Oʻahu to him (Kahekili), but that out of affection for his nephew he had refused; and he intimated strongly that Kaʻōpulupulu was a traitor to Kahahana.

Kahahana believed the falsehoods and it subsequently caused friction between Kahahana and Kaʻōpulupulu and the Oʻahu King turned a deaf ear to his kahuna’s advice and by the later part of 1782 or beginning of 1783, he arranged to have Kaʻōpulupulu killed.

Kahahana, who dispatched his best runners and trusted warriors to kill Kaʻōpulupulu and his son, Kahulupue … On the eve of the expected arrival of the messengers of death, Kaʻōpulupulu warned his son of their doom, saying: “I see in the sudden rise of dust that death will be here anon.”…Hardly had he given utterance to those words, when father and son were dragged out and speared.

Weakened, Kaʻōpulupulu commanded his wounded son, who had gained a point where a few steps would have placed him at the mercy of the angry sea: “E nui ke aho e kuʻu keiki a pa ke kino I ka ili kai a na ke kai ka ua ʻāina la” – Spend not your strength my son until your body strikes the surface of the ocean, for the land belongs to the sea.” This cryptic message culminated in the invasion of Oʻahu by Kahekili, aliʻi nui of Maui.  (Nui; Cultural Surveys)

Back to the sites of Kāpaeloa, Keahuohāpuʻu is believed to be either a koʻa (although fishing koʻa are characterized with coral, this one does not have coral in its construction) or a kūʻula associated with the fish (or shark) god Kāneʻaukai.  (The hāpuʻu is a kind of grouper fish.)

Kaʻahakiʻi was a “tongue-shaped stones, with only the tip protruding above the ground.”  It could still be seen in 1930s; when road construction occurred here, the workers worked abound the stone.

Another stone “in the vicinity” was blasted by railroad builders “apparently causing the death of three workmen.” A local Hawaiian referred to this stone as a kupua, “which he defined as a stone belonging to a particular region”.  (McAllister; Cultural Surveys)

During the Māhele in 1848, nearly the entire ahupua‘a of Kawailoa was awarded to Victoria Kamāmalu (LCA 7713.)  During the second half of the nineteenth century, following the death of Kamāmalu in 1866, Kawailoa Ahupuaʻa was passed on to successive members of the aliʻi (chiefs) eventually to Bishop Estate.

Today, Kūpopolo Heiau is used as an outdoor classroom for archaeological field training for the North Shore Field School (a cooperative effort of Kamehameha Schools and UH.)  Students and community volunteers learn how to identify, document and investigate archaeological artifacts, features and other cultural landscapes.  (Lots of information here from Cultural Surveys)

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Filed Under: Place Names Tagged With: Puu O Mahuka, Kahekili, Hawaii, Oahu, Kaopulupulu, Kupopolo, Waialua, Keahuohapuu, Kapaeloa, Waimea, Kahahana

September 3, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Sailing to Waialua

French sea captain Auguste Dehaut-Cilly made round-the world travels between 1826 and 1829; all of the following is from his account of the Islands following his trip from California to Hawai‘i, in 1828.

“In Honolulu I traded what remained of the cargo in exchange for sandalwood. Stowing this wood on board is a long and careful task if one is to make full use of the space.”

“After ballasting the ship to a sixth of its tonnage, one begins stowing at both ends, stacking together the pieces of equal length, even under the deck, and then forcing into each stack as many other pieces as possible, driving them in with a mallet.”

“While this work was proceeding on board the Heros, I accepted the invitation of the English consul to make a short trip to the north of the island in a small schooner that belonged to him and was going to obtain sandalwood in a place called Waialua.”

“We left at three in the afternoon, and in order to double Koko Head and the eastern part of the island, we tacked until noon the next day when, finding ourselves sufficiently to windward, we let the ship falloff northwest toward our destination.”

“For some while the chain of mountains that appears to traverse the island from east to west and falls away on the side of Honolulu to form a number of fine valleys appeared from the north as a steep wall hemming in a plain of two or three leagues in width and stretching from this barrier to the edge of the sea.”

“But soon the mountains turning abruptly to the north, advanced to the water, leaving only a very small space between themselves and the shore, where a great number of huts stood everywhere.”

“We were less than a mile at sea, ranging along the coast in somber and rainy weather. The setting sun, about to go down on the opposite side of the mountain, left in the shade all that we could see. It is hardly possible to imagine anything more imposing than the spectacle before us that moment.”

“Three massive shapes, suspended over our heads, were composed of fearsome precipices, one towering over the other, of impenetrable forests rising in great steps above other forests, dark chasms of frightful depth, steep and slippery slopes, bare wet rocks mingling their dark color with the somber green of the old trees.”

“High and gleaming cascades, after descending for hundreds of yards, threw themselves onto the tree tops, where they burst into foam only to reunite and fall again until some fissure in the rocks provided a channel for a gentler descent to the sea”

“ If I add that the progress of the ship was continuously changing and varying the scene for us, the reader may form an idea of this spectacle”

“But one must see it with one’s own eyes, see the heavy clouds, now motionless over the forests that they drench with their showers, now eddying swiftly, rising and falling at the will of the wind that was whirling around behind the mountains.”

“One must see this turbulent chaos of clouds, moving, dissipating, and reappearing in different form as the ship advances if one is to sense how magical and mysterious was this scene to us.”

“In the far distance the mountains opened up as if some great hand had torn them apart; narrow valleys, well peopled, wound among the openings.”

“A large number of fishing canoes could be seen close to us. And we called to one of these light craft for a pilot to show us the port of Waialua (place of two streams).”

“The pilot pointed it out, several miles ahead, and we lost no time in entering through the wide opening in the reef, where we found no less than four fathoms of water.”

“It was almost dark when we went ashore and were received by the village chief, who invited us to sup with him ad sleep in his house.”

“We had some provisions brought from on board along with some bottles of wine, and these we added to the excellent fish that he served.”

“Although the house was very large it barely sufficed to hold the numerous guests who were gathered there, for we were no fewer than forty men and women under this hospitable roof.”

“I and my companion, the English consul, stretched ourselves out on mats as did the others, but the night was far advanced before we could sleep.”

“In addition to the insects, flying, jumping and crawling, that tormented us, the chief, after reciting a Christian prayer in the language of the country, kept up a conversation with several others.”

“Although I did not understand a word, this eternal colloquy held me awake for a long time.”

“Even the sleep was not peaceful; with my imagination overwhelmed by the grandiose and sublime spectacle of the mountains, I dreamed that I was pursued by a torrent and took refuge under an overhanging rock that then broke loose and collapsed on me.”

“Awakening with a start, I found on my chest the two heels of a fat Sandwich Islander, my neighbor on the bed, who sept profoundly in that position and who had been the cause of my nightmare.”

”Day was breaking. Taking my gun I went for a walk, intending to shoot some birds, but could not reach the base of the mountains; the entire landscape was cut into a labyrinth of taro fields separated by slippery dikes covered with high, wet grass and difficult to walk on without tumbling into the muddy ponds.Z”

“After killing only a few plover and a duck, I returned to the port. Our little schooner was loaded early, and in the evening we set
sail for Honolulu.”

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Filed Under: General, Place Names, Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks, Economy Tagged With: Waialua

May 13, 2015 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Pohaku O Lanaʻi

“It is different in character from the rocks that line the coast, and unlike anything for miles around.”

Hawaiians know it as ‘pohaku lanai,’ and is said by them to have floated ashore ‘from Kahiki,’ (Tahiti.) It is a balancing rock on a somewhat broader base, of limestone formation, with projecting top so as to afford material shelter in its shelving structure. (Thrum)

This is said to have been used as a lookout by fishermen in the region. When fish were sighted, the stone was beaten with a wooden mallet, and the resulting hollow sound was sufficient to gather together the fishermen of the village.” (McAllister; Ulukau)

On a trip around Oʻahu, Tyerman and Bennet (1832) noted, “Continuing our circuminsular tour we crossed a spacious plain, on the coast, of which the base was coral, and the soil a thin layer of vegetable mould.”

“On this level stands a mound, which might be taken for an artificial monument, consisting of two prodigious masses of coral-rock, the lower about six feet above the surface of the ground, but evidently imbedded in the stratum below;”

“… the upper, laid flat upon this, and overspreading it on every side, measured ninety-three feet in compass, and eight, at least, in the thickest part, the shape being conical.”

“The whole pile reached nearly five yards in height, and, when we consider that the substance must have been wrought under water, it is almost a necessary conclusion that the sea has considerably retired from this coast – from twenty-five to thirty feet in depth …”

“… or been repelled by some of the volcanic convulsions, which probably heaved the island itself from the bottom of the abyss, at a far distant period in the agency of that Providence of which the records are only preserved in the Eternal Mind.”

“There is no other rock of the same kind within several miles of this irregular formation. It was recently a marae (heiau,) to which the kings and chiefs repaired to consult Tani (Kane,) who was worshipped at it, on questions of peace and war, and to pray that in battle their bodies might be rendered invulnerable to the spears of their enemies.” (Tyerman and Bennet, 1832)

Pohaku Lanaʻi is a large balancing stone on Kalaeoiupaoa Point. A large oval-shaped stone 18 feet across is balanced on a smaller base, standing about 10 feet high in all. (Ulukau) It’s also referred to as Lana-ike-Kane (Fisherman’s Stone.)

“One of the lions of the village affording some study is a stone of peculiar formation, in which the natives of the district maintain not a little traditional interest.”

“It is located near the seashore, not far distant from the railroad station, but of late entirely hidden from sight among the tangle-growth of lantana and kolu bushes.”

“(W)hether this shape is the natural result of the erosion of ages, or of surf wearing, of which this may be evidence of a difference in shore line and elevation at some remote period, or the result of man’s rude chizeling for a resting place, are questions of interest for the geologist, for it stands alone”. (Thrum)

An 1890 map notes “Two Rocks called Pohakulanai” located in the Land of Ulupehupehu (in what would be the present Turtle Bay Resort.) (McAllister did not document the two rocks in Kahuku in his 1930s inventory.)

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Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions, Place Names Tagged With: Waialua, North Shore, Pohaku O Lanai, Hawaii, Oahu

February 10, 2015 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Waialua

During ancient times, various land divisions were used to divide and identify areas of control. Islands were divided into moku (districts;) moku were divided into ahupuaʻa. The Island of Oʻahu had six moku: Kona, Koʻolaupoko, Koʻolauloa, Waiʻanae, ʻEwa and Waialua.

The moku of Waialua is a large area of approximately 78-square miles and includes fourteen ahupuaʻa and stretches from Kaʻena Point to Kāpaeloa (just before Waimea.) With its extensive cultivated fields of kalo (taro,) it was considered the ‘poi bowl’ of the island. (Alameida)

Hiʻiaka, the sister of the goddess Pele, during her journey through the Koʻolau, coming from Kahuku, climbs a rocky bluff, listens to pounding surf and admires the beauty of Waialua … and chants (KSBE, Cultural Surveys:)

ʻO Waialua, kai leo nui:
Ua lono ka uka o Līhuʻe;
Ke wā la Wahiawā, e,
Kuli wale, kuli wale i ka leo;
He leo no ke kai, e.
O Waialua, laʻi eha, e!
Eha ka malino lalo o Wai-alua.

Waialua, place where the sea is loud
Heard in the uplands of Lihue,
The voice that reaches to Wahiawa
A voice that is deafening to the ears,
The voice of the ocean.
Waialua, filled with tranquility
That pass serenely over Waialua below.

The meaning of Waialua has several derivations; in one version Waialua is named after the aliʻi Waia. He was the son of Hāloa and Hinamauouluʻai and grandson of Wākea. Waia was not a very good chief and they were ashamed of his government (the word ‘lua’ means two.) Thus Waialua meant doubly disgrace as the name Waia has come to mean “disgraceful behavior.”

Other sources refer to ‘lua’ as referring to two rivers that flow into Kaiaka Bay (Anahulu and Helemano-Poamoho-Kaukonahua.) Gilbert Mathison a visitor in 1822 wrote in his journal that Waialua was named after the two rivers. (Kaukonahua is the longest river in the islands – it runs 33-miles from its source.) (Alameida)

When Captain Cook first spotted the Islands in January 1778, “The ship was first sighted from Waialua and Waiʻanae sailing for the north. It anchored at night at Waimea, Kauaʻi, that place being nearest at hand.” (Kamakau)

Later, after Cook’s death at Kealakekua, on Hawaiʻi Island, the remaining crew of the ship Resolution, with Clerke in command, sailed toward Oʻahu during the afternoon of Wednesday, February 24, 1779. On Saturday, the northeastern end of the island of Oʻahu came into view.

Sailing around Kahuku, the ship entered Waimea Bay (adjoining Waialua,) Clerke remarked, “I stood into a Bay to the (Westward) of this point the Eastern Shore of which was far the most beautifull Country we have yet seen among these Isles, here was a fine expanse of Low Land bounteously cloath’d with Verdure, on which were situate many large Villages and extensive plantations; at the Water side it terminated in a fine sloping, sand Beach.”

James King, later commander of the ship Discovery after August 1779, also wrote that this northernt end of Oʻahu “was by far the most beautiful country of any in the Group. … the Valleys look’d exceedingly pleasant … charmed with the narrow border full of villages, & the Moderate hills that rose behind them. ….” (Alameida)

In 1813, Waialua was described by John Whitman, an early visitor noted a similar description, “…a large district on the NE extremity of the island, embracing a large quantity of taro land, many excellent fishing grounds and several large fish ponds one of which deserves particular notice for its size and the labour bestowed in building the wall which encloses it.” (Cultural Surveys)

He described the fishpond (ʻUkoʻa) as “about one mile in length and extends from the southern part of a small bay to a point of land jutting out about one mile into the sea.” This certainly indicated that its size supported a large population. Whitman continued, “Walking over the wall we passed several gates of strong wicker work through which the water had free passage. Here we observed thousands of fish some of which were apparently three feet long.”

Later (1826,) Levi Chamberlain noted, “The whole district of Waialua is spread out before the eye with its cluster of settlements, straggling houses, scattering trees, cultivated plats & growing in broad perspectives the wide extending ocean tossing its restless waves and throwing in its white foaming billows fringing the shores all along the whole extent of the district.” (Cultural Surveys)

“The scenery on the other hand is no less beautiful and grand, the mountains are seen rising with various elevations, some piercing the clouds which envelope their summits, some covered with wood, others green with shrubs and grass, among the ridges are seen deep ravines, prominent fronts, inaccessible cliffs, weather beaten moss covered steeps.” (Chamberlain, 1826)

In addition, Waialua was a favorite place for leisure by the aliʻi of Oʻahu. Kaʻahumanu visited Waialua with Hiram Bingham during the time that the conversion to Christianity was the primary mission of the American missionaries. Kamehameha III visited a number of times and Liliʻuokalani had a summer home in Haleʻiwa (the present Liliʻuokalani Church was named for her.)

In 1832, missionary Ephraim Walter Clark reported to the Reverend Rufus Anderson, secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), that, “Waialua on the eastern part of the island is a populous region. A mission can be located at a central point in this vicinity, (and) by preaching at different places that are within 5 or 6 miles of each other & of easy access, (we) would probably have 3,000 or 4,000 bearers (followers.)”

The central plateau of the island falls primarily within the Waianae district, with the northern area of Oʻahu in Waialua district and the southern area in Ewa district.

A significant portion of the central plateau is under Army jurisdiction: Schofield Barracks (headquarters and training areas), Wheeler Army Airfield, Helemano Military Reservation, Kipapa and Waikakalaua Ammunition Storage sites and Kunia Field Station.

In ancient times, the central plateau, particularly the area called Līhuʻe on the southwestern part of the plateau, was a center of island political power. Even after the royal center had shifted to Waikīkī during the time of chief Maʻilikūkahi, this central area continued to play a role in chiefly activities, especially at Kūkaniloko (“to anchor the cry from within.”)

The Kūkaniloko Birthstones site (situated in Waialua) is one of the most significant cultural sites on O‘ahu. It was one of two places in Hawai‘i specifically designated for the birth of high-ranking children; the other site was Holoholokū at Wailua on Kauaʻi.

Beginning with the birth of Kapawa, Kūkaniloko became recognized as the royal birthsite on Oʻahu. A child born in the presence of the chiefs was called “he aliʻi” (a chief), “he akua” (a god), “he wela” (a blaze of heat.) The births of at least 4 renown chiefs of O‘ahu are recorded at Kūkaniloko – La‘a (ca. 1420,) Māʻilikūkahi (ca. 1520,) Kalanimanuia (ca. 1600) and Kākuhihewa (ca. 1640).

This place was so highly viewed that, even in later times, Kamehameha I, in 1797, previous to the birth of his son and successor, Liholiho (Kamehameha II,) made arrangements to have his birth take place at Kūkaniloko; but the illness of Queen Keōpūolani prevented that (Liholiho was born in Hilo.)

The image shows the moku of Waialua, indicating the different ahupuaʻa within the moku.

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Filed Under: Place Names Tagged With: Hawaii, Oahu, Waialua

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