What Are the Nā Pōhaku Ola Kapaemāhū a Kapuni?
This phrase means the Life Stones of Kapaemāhū and Kapuni, two of four fabled healers who came to Oʻahu from Tahiti!
What Makes It Historical?
Stones are sacred across the islands of Oceania, as houses for ivi (spirits) and as part of the body of Pele, the volcano goddess! In Hawaiʻi, stones (pōhaku) have set apart territories, aided new mothers in labor, and marked sites of historical, legendary, and spiritual importance! Some were believed to have been human once, petrified for some misdeed or another!
These two pōhaku in Waikīkī are believed to hold the spirits of two healers from Kahiki (Tahiti) named Kapaemāhū and Kapuni! They, and their companions, Kahāloa and Kīnohi, were māhū, folks with both male and female spirits, and in fact, these giant stones display both rough (female) and smooth (male) aspects!
We don’t know exactly when these four kāhuna came here, but they practiced their healing arts across the islands. When it was time for them to return to Tahiti, they asked for four stones to be placed, two at their home and two at the spot where they bathed, then transferred some of their healing power into the stones themselves!
The stones came back into the spotlight in 1905 after excavations by Archibald Scott Cleghorn, the first Honolulu Parks Commissioner. What followed were decades of debate over what to do with these “wizard stones,” where to move them, and what to build over them! Mr. Cleghorn owned the land they were on, and donated it to become a public park, but despite public support, the house of representatives overruled the move as too hard to maintain, allowing the land to be subdivided instead!
After being buried in 1941 to make room for a bowling alley, the stones resurfaced with the bowling alley’s demolition in 1962! By then, folks were more intent on posing for photos on top of them and spraypainting their names on them! The stones moved again in 1980 and again in 1997, this final time with a fence and native plants surrounding them, plus bronze plaques to tell their stories in both English and Native Hawaiian! This move, funded by the Queen Emma Foundation, was hailed as finally restoring Hawaiianness to Waikīkī!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the Hawaiian Historical Society!
- Donate to the Hawaiian Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
2425 Kalākaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!