Wailua Complex of Heiaus | |
Pōhaku Hoʻohānau (birthing stone) and Pōhaku Piko (umbilical stone), Holoholokū Heiau | |
Nearest city | Wailua, Hawaii |
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Coordinates | 22°2′41″N159°20′14″W / 22.04472°N 159.33722°W Coordinates: 22°2′41″N159°20′14″W / 22.04472°N 159.33722°W |
NRHP reference No. | 66000297 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 [1] |
Designated NHLD | December 29, 1962 [2] |
Wailua River State Park and the Wailua Complex of Heiaus, which it includes, are located on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The park consists primarily of the Wailua River valley, which is the only navigable river in Hawaii. Visitors to this park can kayak, take riverboat cruises and explore the rainforest. Even motorboats and water skiing are permissible on the river.
The Wailua Complex, a National Historic Landmark, [2] was once the center of chiefly power on the island. It contains the remains of several important structures: places of worship (heiau), places of refuge (puʻuhonua), and sites related to royal births. [3] The most important sites are: [4]
Of these, only Holoholokū has been largely restored. [4]
Wailua was the land of the ali'i (kings) and was one of the largest ahupuaʻa (subdivisions) on Kauai. It is said that King Kaumuali'i's favorite place to live was in Wailua. There are Hawaiian heiaus starting from the mouth of the river all the way to the summit of Mt.Waialeale. The huaka'i po (Ghost Warriors) are said to walk ancient trails along the river at night up to Mount Waiʻaleʻale. Wailua has many legends about it and was once home to many Hawaiians.
Kauaʻi, anglicized as Kauai, is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kauaʻi lies 105 miles (169 km) across the Kauaʻi Channel, northwest of Oʻahu. This island is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park and the Na Pali Coast State Park.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Hawaii:
Punaluʻu Beach is a beach between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu on the Big Island of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The beach has black sand made of basalt and created by lava flowing into the ocean which explodes as it reaches the ocean and cools. This volcanic activity is in the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Punaluʻu is frequented by endangered hawksbill and green turtles, which can often be seen basking on the black sand.
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located on the west coast of the island of Hawaiʻi in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The historical park preserves the site where, up until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke a kapu could avoid certain death by fleeing to this place of refuge or puʻuhonua. The offender would be absolved by a priest and freed to leave. Defeated warriors and non-combatants could also find refuge here during times of battle. The grounds just outside the Great Wall that encloses the puʻuhonua were home to several generations of powerful chiefs.
In ancient Hawaii, a luakini temple, or luakiniheiau, was a Native Hawaiian sacred place where human and animal blood sacrifices were offered.
Kohala Historical Sites State Monument includes the National Historic Landmark Moʻokini Heiau and the birthplace of Kamehameha I. It is located in remote North Kohala on the Island of Hawaiʻi.
Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the Kona District on the Big island of Hawaiʻi in the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi. It includes the National Historic Landmarked archaeological site known as the Honokōhau Settlement. The park was established on November 10, 1978, for the preservation, protection and interpretation of traditional native Hawaiian activities and culture.
A heiau is a Hawaiian temple. Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms. There are heiau to treat the sick, offer first fruits, offer first catch, start rain, stop rain, increase the population, ensure the health of the nation, achieve success in distant voyaging, reach peace, and achieve success in war (luakini).
The Wailuā River is a major river on the island of Kauaʻi in the U.S. state of Hawaii. 20 miles (32 km) long, it is Kauai's largest and longest river, as well as Hawaii's 3rd longest river. It is formed by the confluence of its North and South forks just west of Wailua and enters the Pacific Ocean at 22°2′42″N159°20′11″W. It is the only navigable river in the Hawaiian Islands. It is a center of activity for locals and visitors in the form of boat tours to Fern Grotto, kayaking and water skiing.
This is a list of properties and historic districts in Hawaii listed on the National Register of Historic Places. More than 340 listings appear on all but one of Hawaii's main islands and the Northwestern Islands, and in all of its five counties. Included are houses, schools, archeological sites, ships, shipwrecks and various other types of listings. These properties and districts are listed by island, beginning at the northwestern end of the chain.
Fern Grotto is a fern covered, lava rock grotto located on the south fork of the Wailua River, which is on the eastern side of Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago. Several boat companies give river tours which lead to the grotto. This attraction is known primarily as the most romantic spot on the island of Kauai, and the area can be rented for weddings.
Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site on the North Shore of Oʻahu is the largest heiau on the island, covering 2 acres (8,100 m2) on a hilltop overlooking Waimea Bay and Waimea Valley. From its commanding heights, sentries could once monitor much of the northern shoreline of Oʻahu, and even spot signal fires from the Wailua Complex of Heiaus on Kauaʻi, with which it had ties. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962, when it became the center of a 4-acre (16,000 m2) state park. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located on the northwestern coast of the island of Hawaiʻi. The site preserves the National Historic Landmark ruins of the last major Ancient Hawaiian temple, and other historic sites.
ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls is a waterfall located on the ʻŌpaekaʻa Stream in Wailua River State Park on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It is a 151–foot waterfall that flows over basalt from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Below the ridge down into the ravine through which the water falls can be seen the vertical dikes of basalt that cut through the horizontal Koloa lava flows. The name "ʻŌpaekaʻa" means rolling shrimp, "ʻopae" being Hawaiian for "shrimp," and "kaʻa" for "rolling". The name dates back to days when the native freshwater shrimp Atyoida bisulcata were plentiful in the stream and were seen rolling and tumbling down the falls and into the churning waters at the fall's base.
Halekiʻi-Pihana Heiau State Monument is a 10-acre (4.0 ha) park containing two important luakini heiau on a high ridge near the mouth of ʻIao Stream in Wailuku, Maui. Both Halekiʻi and Pihana were associated with important Hawaiian chiefs, have been closely studied by archaeologists, and overlook the fertile Nā Wai ʻEhā region irrigated by the Wailuku, Waikapu, Waiheʻe and Waiehu streams. The heiau complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 25 November 1985.
Charles Montague Cooke Jr. House and Kūkaʻōʻō Heiau is a property in Honolulu, Hawaii. The house, also known as Kualii, was built in 1911–1912 for Charles Montague Cooke Jr., and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The listing's boundaries were increased in 2000 to include the Kūkaʻōʻō Heiau.
Ulupō Heiau on the eastern edge of Kawai Nui Marsh in Kailua, Hawaiʻi, is an ancient site associated in legend with the menehune, but later with high chiefs of Oʻahu, such as Kakuhihewa in the 15th century and Kualiʻi in the late 17th century. It may have reached the peak of its importance in 1750, before being abandoned after Oʻahu was conquered in the 1780s. The site became a territorial park in 1954, was partially restored in the early 1960s, marked with a bronze plaque by the State Commission on Historical Sites in 1962, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The Royal Coconut Coast is the designation given to Kauai’s east side, defined as the area between the Wailua Golf Course, heading north along the coast to Kealia Beach, and extending inland towards the center of the island, to Mount Waialeale. The Royal Coconut Coast includes the sacred Wailua River area and the large towns of Wailua and Kapaa. The area derives its name from the acres of coconut trees located along the coast and highway. The area also hosts many places of historical and cultural significance, some of the land held as sacred and was once reserved only for the royalty of Hawaii.
The Kukui Heiau, near Wailua, Hawaii, also known as 'A'A Kukui is a historic archeological site that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the site of a heiau—a Hawaiian temple—on state land that was donated by neighboring condo developers. It is now landscaped, but retains facing walls and offers a good view of Wailua Bay. A 1.1 acres (0.45 ha) area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Smith's Kauai is a family business established by Walter Smith, Sr. and his wife Emily on the Wailua River and Wailua River Valley. It began with a rowboat and borrowed outboard motor and has expanded to include the Fern Grotto Wailua River Cruise, Smith's Tropical Paradise (a 30-acre botanical and cultural garden), Smith's Weddings In Paradise and the Smith Family Garden Luau. The offerings take place on a 4th generation estate in Wailua Marina State Park, Kauai. Walter "Freckles" Smith II is the proprietor and it is known for its kalua pork luau prepared in an imu oven.
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