Wailua River State Park and the Wailua Complex of Heiaus, which it includes, are located on the eastern side of the

Hawaiian island The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Ku ...

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). 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 ...

. The park consists primarily of the Wailua River valley, which is the only navigable river in Hawaii. Visitors to this park can

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

, take riverboat cruises and explore the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

. Even motorboats and

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

are permissible on the river.

Wailua Complex of Heiaus

The Wailua Complex, a National Historic Landmark, 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 (puuhonua), and sites related to royal births. The most important sites are: *Hikinaakalā (Rising of the Sun) Heiau, which includes the Hauola place of refuge (''puuhonua'') and the Kii Pōhaku ancient

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s, at the mouth of the river adjacent to Lydgate State Park *Malae, also known as Malaea or Makaukiu or Mana Heiau, a huge, rectangular

luakini In ancient Hawaii, a luakini temple, or luakini ''heiau'', was a Native Hawaiian sacred place where human and animal blood sacrifices were offered. In Hawaiian tradition, ''luakini heiaus'' were first established by Paʻao, a legendary priest c ...

heiau almost 400 feet long on the south side of the river just above Highway 56 *Holoholokū Heiau, also known as Kalaeokamanu, adjacent to the ''pōhaku hoohānau'' (birthing stone) and ''pōhaku piko'' (navel/umbilical stone), where women of high rank would give birth and bury their afterbirth and

umbilical cord In placental mammals, the umbilical cord (also called the navel string, birth cord or ''funiculus umbilicalis'') is a conduit between the developing embryo or fetus and the placenta. During prenatal development, the umbilical cord is physiologic ...

s *Poliahu (also spelled Poliahu) Heiau, a large

heiau high on the narrow ridge between Ōpaekaa Stream and Wailua River *Bellstone (on the same ridge), used to announce important events, such as royal births Of these, only Holoholokū has been largely restored.

Heiau images

File:Kauai-Heiau-Hikinaakala-far.JPG, Hikinaakalā Heiau File:Kauai-Heiau-KiiPohaku-petroglyph.JPG, Kii Pōhaku image File:Kauai-Heiau-Hauola-altar.JPG, Hauola Heiau altar File:Kauai-Heiau-Kalaeokamanu-squares.JPG, Ka Lae O Ka Manu Heiau (from near birthing stones) File:Kauai-Heiau-Poliahu-field.JPG, Poliahu Heiau (looking inland) File:Kauai-Heiau-Poliahu-corner.JPG, Poliahu Heiau (looking seaward) File:Kauai-Heiau-Poliahu-WailuaRiver-overlook.JPG, Poliahu Heiau view of Wailua River mouth and Malae Heiau hillside File:Kauai-Heiau-Poliahu-WailuaRiver-upriver.JPG, Poliahu Heiau view of Wailua River, Kamokila Hawaiian Village (at right), and

Fern Grotto 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 i ...

tour boat File:Kamokila Hawaiian Village, Kauai.jpg, Kamokila Hawaiian Village File:Wailua River State Park Fern Grotto.jpg,

File:Birthplace of Kaumualii.jpg, Sketch by

Hiram Bingham I Hiram Bingham, formally Hiram Bingham I (October 30, 1789 – November 11, 1869), was leader of the first group of American Protestant missionary, missionaries to introduce Christianity to the Hawaiian islands. Like most of the missionaries, he w ...

History

Wailua was the land of the '' ali'i'' (kings) and was one of the largest '' ahupuaa'' (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 Mount Waialeale is a shield volcano and the second highest point on the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Its name literally means "rippling water" or "overflowing water" The mountain, at an elevation of , averages more than of rain a ...

. Wailua has many legends about it and was once home to many Hawaiians.

References

{{authority control Heiau State parks of Hawaii Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii Protected areas of Kauai Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii National Register of Historic Places in Kauai County, Hawaii

Wailua Complex of Heiaus

Heiau images

History

See also

References