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The Land
| View of Hanama`ulu from Kalepa Heights |
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| Photo : Karl Lo | August 4, 2004 |
HANAMA`ULU, which literally means "tired bay" -- as in tired from walking -- is one of the seven ancient land
divisions on Kaua`i called ahupua`a, usually extending from the mountain to the sea. The others are Kipu, Haiku, Niumalu,
Nawiliwili, Kalapaki, and Wailua.
THE UPPER BOUNDARY of Hanama`ulu as an ahupua`a is Kilohana Crater, whose summit rises to1143 feet, and its lowest boundary
is Hanama`ulu Bay.
IT HAS COME TO THE ATTENTION of the Hanama`ulu Town Celebration Committee that Hanama`ulu was originally named "Ho`opili"
-- meaning "gathering place" -- but this writer has not found a written source. Also, a son of Hanama`ulu, who
grew up near Hanama`ulu Beach and who now lives on Oahu, shared in an e-mail that the bay was called "Ho`opili."
Pukui and Elbert's "Hawaiian Dictionary" says "ho'opili" means "to cling." It's credible that
the bay was called Ho`opili, and calling the bay "Gathering Place" fits. The website welcomes information on
any written source.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1962, film director John Ford chose Hanama`ulu Beach as the setting of "Donovan's Reef," starring
John Wayne, but ten years later the beach was closed and swimming was prohibited by law because of pollution. However, after
two years of struggling with the pollution problem and getting rid of the wastes, the County of Kaua`i lifted the swimming
ban. In June 1974, beachgoers and picnickers reclaimed Hanama`ulu Beach and today they continue to enjoy the bay's calm surf
and to appreciate the tall ironwood and palm trees that give the bay its inviting atmosphere. Hanama`ulu Beach is a favorite
camping site for locals and visitors alike.
HANAMA`ULU'S MOST PROMINENT LANDMARK is Kalepa, whose ridge peaks to 710 feet. A large heiau, Kalauokamanu -- a temple
where human beings were sacrificed -- once marked Kalepa's base, but it was destroyed in 1855. Today, Hanama`ulu Plaza and
Kalepa Village -- a Kaua`i County housing development -- occupy the base of Kalepa.
| View of Kalepa Heights from King K's parking lot. |
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| Photo : Karl Lo | July 6, 2004 |
| Hanama`ulu Beach |
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| Photo : Karl Lo | August 3, 2004 |
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