Kaena or Kaena Point is the westernmost tip of land 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 ...

. In Hawaiian, ''kaena'' means 'the heat'. The area was named after a brother or cousin of Pele. The point is designated as a Natural Area Reserve. Some ancient Hawaiian folklore states that Kaena Point is the "jumping-off" point for souls leaving this world.

History

In Hawaiian, ''kaena'' means 'the heat'. The area was named after a brother or cousin of Pele who accompanied her from ''Kahiki''. The

State of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

has designated the point as a Natural Area Reserve to protect nesting Laysan Albatrosses and wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Hawaiian monk seals, and the fragile (to vehicular traffic) native strand vegetation that has been restored there. Some ancient Hawaiian folklore states that Kaena Point is the "jumping-off" point for souls leaving this world. In 1899, the Oahu Railway and Land Company constructed a railway that encompassed 70 miles from Honolulu through Kahuku to transport sugarcane. Most of the tracks were destroyed due to a tsunami in 1946. Parts of the railroad tracks are visible along the Ka'ena point trail.

Ecology

Ka'ena Point sustains an

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

that is home to many

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

Hawaiian plants and animals. Plants: * ‘ohai (''

Sesbania tomentosa ''Sesbania tomentosa'', commonly known as Oahu riverhemp and ''ōhai'', is an endangered species of plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the main Hawaiian Islands as well as Nihoa and Necker Island. It inhabits low shrublands ...

'') * naupaka kahakai (''

Scaevola sericea ''Scaevola taccada'', also known as beach cabbage, sea lettuce, or beach naupaka, is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae found in coastal locations in the tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific. It is a common beach shrub throughout the Ara ...

'') * ‘ilima papa ('' Sida falax'') * naio (''

Myoporum sandwicense ''Myoporum sandwicense'', commonly known as ''naio'', bastard sandalwood or false sandalwood is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. It is a tree or shrub highly variable in its form, the size and shape of its l ...

'') * pa‘u-o-Hi‘iaka ('' Jacquemontia ovalifolia'') * ma‘o - Hawaiian cotton (''

Gossypium tomentosum ''Gossypium tomentosum'', commonly known as ''mao'', ''huluhulu'' or Hawaiian cotton, is a species of cotton plant that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It inhabits low shrublands at elevations from sea level to . ''Mao'' is a shrub that reac ...

'') * Ka‘ena ‘akoko ( ''Chamaesyce celastroides'' var. ''kaenana'') * hinahina (''

Heliotropium anomulum ''Heliotropium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the heliotrope family, Heliotropiaceae. There are around 325 species in this almost cosmopolitan genus, which are commonly known as heliotropes (sg. ). It is highly toxic for dogs and cats. Et ...

'') * pohinahina (''

Vitex rotundifolia ''Vitex rotundifolia'', the roundleaf chastetree or beach vitex, is a species of flowering plant in the sage family Lamiaceae. It is native to seashores throughout the Pacific. Its range includes continents and islands stretching from India east ...

'') * nehe (''

Lipochaeta integrifolia ''Lipochaeta'', common name nehe, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae that is endemic to Hawaii. Taxonomy There are difficulties regarding the classification of this genus for its affinities are uncertain. Some studies have ...

'') Animals: * Hawaiian Monk Seal ('' Neomonachus schauinslandi'') * moli (''

Diomedia immutabilis Diomedia may refer to: * Diomideia, a location in Xanthi, Greece * Islands of Diomedes The Islands of Diomedes () were named after Diomedes, King of Argos. Diomedia (), one of these islands, was according to the Greek myths where Diomedes was ...

'') * Yellow Faced Bees (''

Hylaeus longiceps ''Hylaeus longiceps'', also known as the longhead yellow-faced bee, is a species of bee Endemism, endemic to Hawaii and known from only six populations. In September 2016, along with six other Hawaiian yellow-faced bee species, ''H. longiceps'' w ...

'')

Preservation

Dan Ashe tours Kaena Point State Park in Hawaii (6550178815)

In 2011, the United States' first predator proof fence was constructed at Ka’ena Point, costing about $290,000. The fence is approximately , and encompasses of land.Eloise Aguiar
"Fence sought for Ka'ena reserve,"
''The Honolulu Advertiser'', 24 August 2009, retrieved on 18 November 2014. The population of Wedge-tailed Shearwater fledglings, Laysan Albatross fledglings, Ohia, Sandalwood trees, and several other species has risen significantly.

Access

Ka'ena Point is a park and hiking site, and is also known for

snorkeling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a ...

. This spot has a white sandy beach that begins from the western tip of Oahu to the

Waianae Mountains Waianae () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 13,614. Its name means "waters of the mullet". Its etymology is shared with the far northern Wellington subu ...

. A can be entered from Keawaula Beach or Mokuleia. During the winter months, Oahu's North Shore is typically bombarded by large, powerful waves that attract

surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

from around the world. It is rumored that Kaena Point typically has waves (up to in height) larger than those at Waimea Bay, one of Oahu's world-famous surfing locations. This has not been confirmed; however, during the famous "Swell Of The Century" in 1969 and on the day of

Greg Noll Greg Noll (' Lawhead; February 11, 1937 – June 28, 2021) was an American pioneer of big wave surfing and a prominent longboard shaper. Nicknamed "Da Bull" by Phil Edwards in reference to his physique and way of charging down the face of a w ...

's famous wave at Mākaha, Greg himself took a picture of a gigantic wave breaking at Kaena Point. Until "Biggest Wednesday" on 28 January 1998, when professional surfer

Ken Bradshaw Ken Bradshaw (born October 4, 1952) is an American professional surfer and winner of the 1982 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. Bradshaw was born in Houston, Texas. On January 28, 1998, Bradshaw successfully towed into and rode ...

was photographed riding a wave with a reported face, it was believed that Noll's picture showed the largest wave ever photographed. During that famous swell in January 1998, several persons reported seeing waves with faces at Kaena Point.

References

External links

*
Ka‘ena Point Ecosystem Restoration Project
Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources {{authority control Headlands of Hawaii Landforms of Oahu Protected areas of Oahu State parks of Hawaii