Kaʻena Point
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Kaena or Kaena Point is the westernmost tip of the island of
Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
. 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.


History

According to ancient Hawaiian folklore, 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 by a tsunami in 1946. Parts of them are visible along the Ka'ena Point Trail.


Ecology

Ka'ena Point sustains an
ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...
that is home to many
native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...
Hawaiian plants and animals. Plants: * ‘ohai ('' Sesbania tomentosa'') * naupaka kahakai ('' Scaevola sericea'') * ‘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 le ...
'') * pa‘u-o-Hi‘iaka ('' Jacquemontia ovalifolia'') * ma‘o - Hawaiian cotton ('' Gossypium tomentosum'') * Ka‘ena ‘akoko ( ''Chamaesyce celastroides'' var. ''kaenana'') * hinahina ('' Heliotropium anomulum'') * pohinahina ('' Vitex rotundifolia'') * 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 ...
'') * 'Ahinahina ('' Achyranthes splendens'') Animals: * Hawaiian monk seal ('' Neomonachus schauinslandi'') * Moli ('' Phoebastria immutabilis'') * Yellow-faced bees ('' Hylaeus longiceps'')


Preservation

In 2011, the United States' first predator-proof fence was constructed at Ka’ena Point, costing about $290,000. The fence is about 2,133 feet long (650 m), and encompasses of land. 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 (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...
. This spot has a white sandy beach that runs from Oahu's western tip to the
Waianae Mountains Waianae () is a census-designated place (CDP) in the City and County of Honolulu, 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 northe ...
. A can be entered from Keawaula Beach or Mokuleia. Until January 28, 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
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 1969 photo had shown the largest wave ever photographed. During that famous swell in January 1998, several people 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