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

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

District of the

Big Island of Hawaii Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big'', a 2023 Taiwanese children's film starring Van Fan and Chie Tanaka * '' Big!'', a Discover ...

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 critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...

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, ahupuaa'') in the Hilo District of the Hawaii (island), Big Island of Hawaii, located mauka (mountain-side) of the Waiakea, Hawaii, Waiākea ahupua'a; its location is ...

(the area on the slopes of

Mauna Loa Mauna Loa (, ; ) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest active volcano by both mass and volume. It was historically considered to be the largest ...

). 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, Hilo, Hawaii. The school's mascot is the Warrior. It is part of the Hawaii State Department of Education. Founded in 1976, the school graduated its first class in 1 ...

. 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 , ) 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 underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

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