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He ui, he ninau |
A query, a question |
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Aia i kahikina a ka la |
They are in the eastern most place of the sun |
– Excerpt from Ka Wai a Kāne
Preservation
Glossary Terms
Open-space and undeveloped lands within the moku that are recognized as important from a conservation standpoint are designated in the Wai‘anae Sustainable Communities Plan to be within a Preservation Boundary (see map). The preservation boundary is established to protect lands that offer natural, cultural, or scenic resources. These lands include important wildlife habitat, archaeological or historic sites, significant landforms or landscapes that afford significant views, and natural hazard areas.
Open Space
Preservation of open space and scenic beauty is a high priority in the planning of future development projects and programs in Wai‘anae. Open space areas include Wai‘anae's shoreline, valleys, and steep ridges and mountains. A "Coastal View Study" commissioned by the City Department of Land Utilization in 1987 identified "significant stationary views" at Mākaha Beach Park, Mauna Lahilahi Beach Park, Pōka‘ī Bay Beach Park, and Mā‘ili Beach Park (Chu and Jones 1987). There are also dramatic mauka views and views from higher elevations looking toward the coast, including panoramic views from the scenic overlook near Kolekole Pass.
Lands north of Kepuhi Point, which marks the northern coastal limits of Mākaha Valley, are largely undeveloped. Land uses include beach parks, ranch lands, the Army's training area at Mākua Valley, and extensive areas of state-owned forest lands. The Wai‘anae Sustainable Communities Plan calls for the undeveloped area north of Kepuhi Point to be protected and preserved as open space lands in perpetuity.
Coastal Lands
Keawaula Beach, often referred to as Yokohama Bay beach, is the last stretch of sandy shore on O‘ahu's northwest side.
Source: CZM Hawai‘iThe Wai‘anae District has about 20 miles of coastline, consisting of 18 miles of beaches and about two miles of either rocky ledges or residential coastal development. Most of the beaches are city beach parks that offer some facilities for recreational users (see map).
The coastal lands are recognized as important scenic and recreational resources that must be preserved. The Wai‘anae Sustainable Communities Plan calls for no new coastal development with the exception of some limited development or redevelopment of low-rise commercial and public buildings associated with the planned Wai‘anae Country Town (see the Development section).
Mountain Forest Lands
Preservation of mountain forest lands and forest resources is important for the protection of native plant and animal species. Important forest lands of the moku include both the steep ridges and pu‘u near the coast and the slopes and peaks of the Wai‘anae Mountains that form the valley walls. The higher elevations of the Wai‘anae mountain range provide important habitats for rare and endangered plants, as well as endangered animal species like the ‘elepaio, a rare forest bird, and the Achatinella tree snail. For more information on mauka habitats and their resident species, please see the Mauka: Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems section.
The endangered O‘ahu tree snail, Achatinella mustelina, lives only in the Wai‘anae Mountains.
Source: U.S. Geological SurveyStreams and Stream Floodplains
Stream systems in the major valleys of the Wai‘anae moku include Nānākuli Stream, Ulehawa Stream, and Mā‘iliilii Stream in Lualualei Valley; Kaupuni Stream and Kawiwi Stream in Wai‘anae Valley; Mākaha Stream; and Mākua Stream. These streams are perennial in the upper reaches of Wai‘anae Valley and Mākaha Valley, and intermittent in the lower parts of these two valleys and in the other valleys of the region. In recent years, makai sections of the streams in Lualualei and Wai‘anae Valleys have been replaced with concrete drainage channels.
Streams are important elements of the landscape in that they bring water from the mountains down into the valleys, provide habitat for freshwater plant and animal species, and contribute fertile floodplain soils. Streams and springs of the Wai‘anae moku also are of great importance in the Hawaiian culture. The importance of fresh water to Hawaiians is shown through their use of the word " waiwai," meaning property or anything of great value, which comes from the word for fresh water, "wai." Likewise, the Hawaiian word for law, " kānāwai," comes from the ancient laws that governed sharing of stream water (University of Hawaii 2001). The spiritual significance of streams is also reflected in traditions relating to Kāne, the chief deity among Hawaiian gods. The form most associated with Kāne is that of fresh water, especially fresh water from the atmosphere and surface water of the earth (McCarthy and Martin undated).
Streams and stream floodplains are highly vulnerable to negative impacts from human development. Grading and filling associated with development result in faster rainfall runoff to streams and associated erosion of natural stream banks. Runoff from agricultural lands can contain high concentrations of silt, herbicides, pesticides, and animal wastes, all harmful pollutants that are conveyed to the sea during times of heavy rainfall. Runoff from urban lands can contain harmful concentrations of herbicides, oil, grease, paint products, and other substances. In contrast to concrete drainage channels, natural streams and stream channels reduce the flow of harmful pollutants to the sea.
Management of streams and stream floodplains is a priority in the future development of Wai‘anae. The Wai‘anae Sustainable Communities Plan calls for the establishment of stream conservation corridors and associated policies, monitoring, and oversight to protect these resources.
Historic and Cultural Resources
The Wai‘anae area was first settled by Hawaiians about 800 to 1,000 years ago (see the Cultural History section). Almost all of the upper valleys in the moku, beyond the limits of developed areas, contain major concentrations of archaeological sites associated with the region's past history. Many of these historic and cultural sites are of great importance to the community.
The coastal dunes contain burial sites and other archaeological sites that are hidden beneath the ground surface. Some archaeological sites are also present under existing buildings. Many scattered heiau also survive along the coast and throughout the valleys of the moku.
Some of the Old Methods Are In Use Again...
"On a spit of land jutting into Pōka‘ī Bay in Wai‘anae, the remnants of an ancient temple are emerging out of grassy rubble. Stones and rubbish are being cleared away by local students.
From here one can see the entire stretch of coastline and each ridge of mountainous outcroppings...
From this point jutting out into the bay, the ancient temples were visible one to another. And the people who used them could post lookouts for war canoes, or launch their own canoes, or perhaps study the stars that led their ancestors across the Pacific to these islands...
Eventually, as part of [the] Wai‘anae Hawaiian Civic Club's five-year plan and as part of the continuing cultural renaissance on the Wai‘anae coast, the dream is to recreate an "ahupua‘a" from mountain to sea, a rich sweep of living culture that will incorporate agriculture, aquaculture and the marine programs."
– Quoted from an article by Beverly Creamer, Honolulu Advertiser
The survey of archaeological resources within the moku is not complete. Fairly comprehensive surveys have been conducted in upper Nānākuli (by the State Historic Preservation Division), in upper Lualualei (by the Bishop Museum), in mid to upper Mākaha (by the Bishop Museum), and on the coastal flats of Keaau (by International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc.). The Army and Navy have conducted surveys of the lands they occupy, and other smaller areas have been surveyed in connection with planned development (City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting 2000).
Some significant archaeological resources identified in the moku include the following:
Kuilioloa heiau at Pōka‘ī Bay. This fishing heiau was restored in 1978.
Source: CZM Hawai‘i- A campsite dating from before A.D. 900, prior to the time of settlement in the moku, located in the Wai‘anae Valley along Pōka‘ī Bay, in the Wai‘anae Army Recreation Center.
- Remnants of first settlements in Mākaha and Wai‘anae Valleys, dating from the 1000s to the 1300s.
- Remains of the political and religious center of the region, dating from about the 1400s to the 1700s, including a residence of the high chief in Wai‘anae Valley, and large national sacrificial temples (luakini) in Wai‘anae and Mākaha Valleys.
- Ka‘ena Point, which was known as a place from which souls departed from the earth. A large coral boulder, called leina a ka ‘uhane (Soul's Leap), is located east of the lighthouse. The souls of the near dead or the dead wandered here and leaped into the night. Before making the leap, a soul first had to pass Kea waulu, where his ‘aumākua decided if he was ready to go on to the next world.
- Kāneana Cave, at the coast north of Mākaha Valley. This legendary cave is described in some stories as the home of the shark god's son, who lured victims into the cave and ate them (Crowe and Crowe 2002). Other sources (McGrath and others 1973, Cordy 2002) describe it as the trysting place of the shark-man and his lover, the mo‘o woman of Ko‘iahi Stream in Mākua (see The Mo‘o of Mākua Valley story).
- Numerous heiau throughout the valleys of the moku. Noteworthy restored heiau include Kaneaki Heiau in Mākaha Valley, and Ukanipo Heiau in Mākua. Kaneaki Heiau, originally an agricultural heiau, was used by Kamehameha I as a luakini to honor the war god Kū before the battle to conquer Kaua‘i (Crowe and Crowe 2002). Ukanipo Heiau is the principal heiau for the ahupua‘a of Kahanahāiki, within Mākua Valley, and was the place where the bodies of ali‘i were prepared before being hidden away (Cordy 2002).
References Cited
Chu, M.S., and R.B. Jones. 1987. Coastal View Study. Doc. No. MRRCB8802003. Prepared for the City and County of Honolulu. Department of Land Utilization.
City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting. 2000. Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan. http://honoluludpp.org/planning/Waianae/Wai1.pdf
Cordy, R. 2002. Ancient History of Waianae. Mutual Publishing. Honolulu, Hawaii.
Crowe, E., and W. Crowe. 2002. Exploring Lost Hawaii: Places of Power, History, Mystery, and Magic. Island Heritage Press. Eaipahu, Hawaii.
Emerson, N.B. 1999. Unwritten Literature of Hawai'i: The Sacred Songs of the Hula. Mutual Publishing. Honolulu, HI.
McGrath, E.J., K.M. Brewer, and B. Krauss. 1973. Historic Waianae, A Place of Kings. Island Heritage Limited. Norfolk Island, Australia.
University of Hawaii. 2001. Hawaiian Plants. Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program. http://www.hawaii.edu/gk-12/evolution/laurar.plants.htm
Related Reference
Creamer, B. 1981. Some of the Old Methods Are In Use Again. Plans Call for a Rich Sweep of Living Culture From Mountain to Sea. Honolulu Advertiser. July 10, 1981. Honolulu, HI.
Emerson, N.B. 1999. Unwritten Literature of Hawai'i: The Sacred Songs of the Hula. Mutual Publishing. Honolulu, HI.
