Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park!

What Is Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park?

This park preserves the seascapes of five ancient Hawaiian land divisions, or ahupuaʻa, chiefly Kaloko (“Pond”) and Honokōhau (“Bay where Waters Congregate”)!

What Makes It Historical?

The Big Island lives up to its name! When folks first arrived here from Polynesia, between 1,000 and 1,200 CE, some settled inland, while others remained on the shores. It’s not known for sure who divided the land up, but it may have been a chief in the 1400s named ʻUmi-a-Līloa. The boundaries ran from the mountains to the sea and became known as ahupuaʻa, or “pig cairns,” because folks would leave pork offerings for the high chief on top of the stacked stones bordering their territory!

Folks who stayed here by the shore had to be innovative to survive: there wasn’t a lot of fresh water, and they had to rely on fishing. So, they stacked lava rocks just offshore, creating the ‘Ai’opio Fishtrap, which let fish enter during high tide, then corraled them in when the tide went out! They also created fish ponds up and down the coast, which worked in a similar way. The Aimakapa Fishpond let the tides channel up over the sand dunes, and the receding tides would trap fish there for folks to harvest! Meanwhile, the Kaloko Fishpond was enclosed by a 40-foot sea wall, or kuapä, stacked in such a way to break the waves and keep the pond calm. Today, it’s a refuge for rare birds like the Hawaiian stilt (Aeʻo) and Hawaiian coot (ʻAlae keʻokeʻo), and the park as a whole is a feeding ground for juvenile green sea turtles (Honu)!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Become a member of the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association!
Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!