Maunalua (Hawaii Kai) is a largely residential area located in the City & County of Honolulu, in the East Honolulu CDP, on the island of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. Maunalua, (Hawaii Kai) is the largest of several communities at the eastern end of the island. The area was largely developed by

Henry J. Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of ...

around the ancient Maunalua fishpond and wetlands area known as Kuapā (meaning "fishpond wall"). The Hawaii Kai or Koko Marina was dredged from Kuapā Pond starting around 1959. Dredging not only transformed the shallow coastal inlet and wetlands into a marine

embayment A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

, but was accompanied by considerable filling and clearing of the pond margins. In 1961, Kaiser-Aetna entered into a lease agreement with the land owner, the

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE), is a private school system in Hawaii established by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was a formal membe ...

, to develop the 521 acre (2.11 km²) fishpond into residential tracts with a marina and channels separated by fingers of land and islands upon which house lots and commercial properties would be laid out and developed. Nearly all of the low-lying lands surrounding the marina have since been developed, and neighborhoods now extend back into the several valleys and up the separating ridges.

Geography

Immediately west of Maunalua (Hawaii Kai) along

Kalanianaole Highway Route 72, commonly known as Kalanianaole Highway, is the main highway serving southeast Oahu. Beginning at the eastern terminus of Interstate H-1 (H-1), the east–west highway travels along the southeastern shore of Oahu through vario ...

(State Rte. 72) is the East Honolulu neighborhood of Kuliouou. Eastward from Hawaii Kai (Maunalua) on the same highway is the

Koko Head Koko Head is the headland that defines the eastern side of Maunalua Bay along the southeastern side of the Island of Oahu in Hawaii. On its western slope is the community of Portlock, a part of Hawaii Kai. Koko Head (at 642 ft or 196 m) is a ...

area, an area now mostly included within Koko Head Park. South of Hawaii Kai is

Maunalua Bay Maunalua Bay is a bay in the southeast of Honolulu, the capital of Hawaiʻi. The bay extends about from the southern tip of Diamond Head, the ''Black Point'', also called ''Kūpikipikiʻō'' , in the west to Portlock Point, also known as ''Ka ...

, and north are the Koolau mountains. Eventually the road crosses over to the windward side near Makapuu Point. Hawaii Kai is located approximately 12 miles east of the Central Business District (CBD) of Honolulu. In the

2000 U.S. Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

defined Hawaii Kai as being in the urban Honolulu

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

. For the 2010 U.S. Census the bureau created a new census-designated place,

East Honolulu East Honolulu is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the CDP had a population of 50,922, making it the 2nd most populated CDP in Hawaii, behind Honolulu. Geography East Ho ...

Native Hawaiian fishpond

was formerly renown for having the largest Native Hawaiian fishpond on Oahu. The 523 acre fishpond known as ''Keahupua-O-Maunalua'' had a wall or ''kuapā'' which originally spanned from Kuliouou headland and to what is now Portlock. The pond was used primarily to raise mullet (''awaawa'') and was also home to many endemic or indigenous waterbirds. The area remained important for fishing and agriculture until the 1950s when the fishpond was filled for housing development.

Communities

''Kalama Valley'' is a community within the town of Maunalua, more commonly known as Hawaii Kai located on the eastern coast of the island of

. It features a shopping center, a public park and basketball facilities, and predominantly single-family, relatively high-priced housing, due to its location in Maunalua (Hawaii Kai). There are a variety of attractions in the vicinity of Kalama Valley, including Hawaii Kai Golf Course, Awawamalu ( Sandy Beach), Makapuu Lighthouse and beach,

Koko Crater Botanical Garden The Koko Crater Botanical Garden (60 acres) is a botanical garden located within the Koko Crater (Koko Head) on the eastern end of Oahu, Hawaii. It was given the dual title of the Charles M. Wills Cactus Garden by the Honolulu Department of Parks ...

, the "From Here to Eternity" cove, and

Hanauma Bay Hanauma (; ) is a marine embayment formed within a tuff ring and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oahu in the Hawaii Kai neighborhood of East Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands. Hanauma is one of the most popular tourist destina ...

. "Kamehame Ridge" is a ridge located in the middle of Kalama and Kamilo Iki Valley. Kamehame Ridge was developed during the 1990s. Now there are multi-million dollars homes and real estate stretching from the bottom to the top of the Ridge. It is most famous for its popular hike, known locally as “Dead Man’s Catwalk”.

Demographics

Hawaii Kai was home to 30,079 residents residing in 10,702 households during the period between 2009–2013. The percentage of residents 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher was 51.8 percent.

Education

Maunalua is located within the

Hawaii Department of Education The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is a statewide public education system in the United States. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and communities in the United States, but i ...

Kaiser Complex and is home to Henry J. Kaiser High, Hahaione Elementary, Kamiloiki Elementary, and Koko Head Elementary Schools. The three elementary schools feed into

Niu Valley Middle School This is a list of middle schools in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu Public Private * Damien Memorial School, Honolulu *Hawaii Baptist Academy, Honolulu *Iolani School, Honolulu *Kamehameha Schools, Honolulu *Maryknoll School, Honolulu ...

, which in turn feeds into Kaiser High, although Niu Valley Middle is not located in Hawaii Kai.

Gallery

Hawaii Kai-Hanauma Crater.JPG, Hawaii Kai and the Hanauma Crater Sandybeach blowholeside.jpg, Hawaii Kai's Sandy Beach Hawaii Kai From Lookout.jpg, The view of Hawaii Kai from the nearby lookout point. Hawaii Kai Marina.jpg, Marina in Hawaii Kai

References

{{Henry J. Kaiser Neighborhoods in Honolulu Henry J. Kaiser Populated places established in 1961 1961 establishments in Hawaii East Honolulu, Hawaii