As one of the most popular destinations in the world, Waikīkī can sometimes feel as bustling as any other metropolis. Glittering high-rises and sprawling shopping centers populate the three-mile stretch of ocean front. Across Kalākaua Avenue, throngs of visitors and locals stroll past every kind of shop imaginable, from luxury storefronts to restaurants. It’s a lively scene, but one that is only Waikīkī’s most recent iteration. For most of its history, Waikīkī was a much different landscape.
In place of hotels and high-rises were once acres of lo‘i (taro patches). Instead of today’s crisscrossing streets and alleyways, a thriving ecosystem of wetlands fed by water from fresh mountain streams spanned the horizon.
At Helumoa, the wahi pana (storied place) upon which Royal Hawaiian Center currently stands, a grove rich with thousands of niu (coconut) trees flourished.
This verdant past of Waikīkī can be hard to picture now that much of the ahupua‘a (watershed) is transformed into an urban mecca. Yet, as I immerse myself in the Royal Grove’s verdure, its landscape of trickling streams and lush canopies inspires me to remember the Waikīkī of before.
Here, the glittering water features recall the three streams that once channelled wai (water) from the mountains through Waikīkī’s wetlands: Pi‘inaio, Ku‘ekaunahi, and ‘Āpuakēhau. These waterways are said to have inspired the inoa ‘āina (traditional place name) of Waikīkī, whose name translates to spouting water.
From the time of the first Polynesian settlers, these streams nourished lo‘i cultivated by maka‘āinana (commoners) and ali‘i (chiefs) alike. It was an agricultural hub that covered an expanse from what is today Kālakaua Avenue to Kapi‘olani Park. Alongside the taro fields, loko i‘a (fish ponds) offered a regenerative source for ocean harvests. During his time as king, Kamehameha IV further enriched the lo‘i. His campaign was so succesful that one Hawaiian-language newspaper remarked, “The taros are thriving from up at Keokea down to the shore, a pleasing sight to the eyes. The leaves are green and much admired by every one here in Waikīkī.”