Waiākea is an ancient subdivision ('' ahupuaa'') in the

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

District of the Big Island of Hawaii and an early settlement on

Hilo Bay Hilo Bay is a large bay located on the eastern coast of the island of Hawaii. Description The modern town of Hilo, Hawaii overlooks Hilo Bay, located at . North of the bay runs the Hamakua Coast on the slopes of Mauna Kea, and south of the bay ...

Origin

The name comes from ''wai ākea'' in the

Hawaiian Language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

meaning "broad waters", and sometimes what is now called

was called Waiākea Bay. Waiākea is home to many and has its own schools. It stretches for miles and ends at

Waiākea-Uka Waiākea-Uka (IPA:/'waj.ə.kei.ə.'u.kə/) is an ancient subdivision ('' ahupuaa'') in the Hilo District of the Big Island of Hawaii, located mauka (mountain-side) of the Waiākea ahupua'a; its location is on the lower flanks of the volcano Mau ...

(the area on the slopes of

Mauna Loa Mauna Loa ( or ; Hawaiian: ; en, Long Mountain) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The largest subaerial volcano (as opposed to subaqueous volcanoes) in both mass and ...

). Waiākea-Uka houses many expensive houses, including a Swiss chateau. There are also some cattle farms in Waiākea-Uka, and a state forest reserve. There are four schools located in the Waiākea complex: Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakea Intermediate School, and

Waiakea High School Waiākea High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Hilo, Hawaii. The school's mascot is the Warrior. It is part of the Hawaii State Department of Education. The school graduated its first class in 1980, and has about 1300 stud ...

. Waiākea Stream flows from the slopes of Mauna Loa at into Waiākea Pond at an elevation of only at . Hilo tsunami memorial

History

When William Ellis visited in 1823, Waiākea was the main settlement on Hilo Bay. The Waiākea Mission (now called Haili Church) was the first church in eastern Hawaii island, founded in 1824. Several eruptions of Mauna Loa (the most recent in 1984) have threatened the area.

Tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

s devastated Waiākea-Kai (along the coast), with the largest in 1946 and 1960. A clock found in the rubble set to the exact time when it stopped in 1960 serves as a memorial.

References

{{Authority control Geography of Hawaii (island) Ghost towns in Hawaii