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
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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 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 |
Source: Copyright Criterion Music Corp - The composers extoll the beauty of Hanauma Bay on the east end of Oʻahu