Hanauma Bay
Hanauma Bay
It was a preferred fishing spot of ancient Hawaiians and Hawaiian royalty. Kamehameha the Great’s favorite wife, Kaʻahumanu, stayed at Hanauma for a month, holding hula competitions and uma (hand wrestling) contests.
Hanauma Bay was also a canoe launching area for royalty traveling to Molokaʻi. It is unlikely that Hawaiians had large settlements this area because of low rainfall, nutrient-poor soil, and lack of fresh water.
Hanauma literally means “curved bay” or “hand wrestling bay.”
Pukuʻi, Mary Kawena, Samuel H. Elbert, and Esther T. Mookini. Place names of Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 1976.
Sterling, Elspeth P. and Catherine C. Summers. Sites of Oʻahu. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 1978.
Hanauma by Mary K. Pukui
Mahalo aʻe ana au
I ka nani a'o Hanauma
Ke kai kūʻono hālaʻi
Pāʻai ʻia e nā pali
Ua makemake nui ʻia
Ke alanui kīkeʻekeʻe
E iho aku ai i lalo
I ke kaha one ākea
He kahua na ka lehulehu
E luana hauʻoli ai
E hoʻolono like aʻe ana
I ka leo hone o ke kai
ʻOluʻolu i ka peʻahi
A ka makani aheahe
E hoʻoluli mālie nei
I na lau aʻo ke kiawe
Haʻina mai ka puana
No ka nani aʻo Hanauma
Ke kai kūʻono hālaʻi
Pōʻai ia e nā pali
I ka nani a'o Hanauma
Ke kai kūʻono hālaʻi
Pāʻai ʻia e nā pali
Ua makemake nui ʻia
Ke alanui kīkeʻekeʻe
E iho aku ai i lalo
I ke kaha one ākea
He kahua na ka lehulehu
E luana hauʻoli ai
E hoʻolono like aʻe ana
I ka leo hone o ke kai
ʻOluʻolu i ka peʻahi
A ka makani aheahe
E hoʻoluli mālie nei
I na lau aʻo ke kiawe
Haʻina mai ka puana
No ka nani aʻo Hanauma
Ke kai kūʻono hālaʻi
Pōʻai ia e nā pali
I am admiring
The beauty of Hanauma
A restful bay
Surrounded by cliffs
Much do I enjoy
The winding road
That leads downward (to)
The wide and sandy beach
A place for the public
To relax happily
To listen together
To the pleasant sounds of the sea
Cooled by the fanning
Of a gentle breeze
That set in motion
The kiawe leaves
This ends my song (of praise)
For the beauty of Hanauma
A restful bay
Surrounded by cliffs
The beauty of Hanauma
A restful bay
Surrounded by cliffs
Much do I enjoy
The winding road
That leads downward (to)
The wide and sandy beach
A place for the public
To relax happily
To listen together
To the pleasant sounds of the sea
Cooled by the fanning
Of a gentle breeze
That set in motion
The kiawe leaves
This ends my song (of praise)
For the beauty of Hanauma
A restful bay
Surrounded by cliffs
Source: Copyright Criterion Music Corp - The composers extoll the beauty of Hanauma Bay on the east end of Oʻahu
