My wife and I decided to take a trip to the north shore on the first day of 2014 and I was able to sneak in a couple of visits to a few special places.
Our first stop was to finally find Samuel Kamakau's final resting place. My Olelo Hawaii class teacher, Kaipo'i is full such a wealth of knowledge. I remembered to get the directions from him at our last meeting. Wikipedia's location of his grave is somewhat flawed. It states that his grave is at Ma'ema'e Cemetery. It is not and is actually in Oahu Cemetery, although Ma'ema'e was the name of that entire area in the old days. Kamakau is buried with his wife and they share a tombstone between them. Kamakau was a great historian, possibly the most in depth in Hawaii, as far as Hawaiian history goes. His dates are sometimes scrutinized because he gave no method of how he came up with them and traditional storytelling by Hawaiians rarely used exact dates. Although different phases of the Hawaiian moon calender may have been remembered. Depending on the weather and fishing or planting results. Kamakau was sometimes opinionated in his hindsight of the past and the way the Hawaiians in power dealt with different problems of the nation. He did not hold back in stating what he thought about them either.
Kamakau stated that he witnessed with his own eyes, the scars on the survivor of the Battle of Kuki'iahu between Ka'eo and Kalanikupule. The woman named Kahulunuika'aumoku the daughter of the main Kahuna of Kauai, Ku'ohu. Was able to play dead as the rest of the corpses were pilled at Pa'aiau to be burned. She silently crawled into the waters of Pu'uloa and swam across to the district of Aiea, and then climbed to a hidden place in Halawa, and finally escaped to Kauai. It is said that she was guided by her aumakua, a pueo.
After breakfast we took a side track off the freeway to visit the Oahunui stone in Waikakalaua gultch. I noticed that every branch that would have crossed over the stone and blocked sun or star light from it. Was broken off and hanging. Either someone slightly cut every branch around it and left them to rot, even though some were many feet above any stable ground. Or...
Lastly, but not least. Before I got to spend the rest of the day bodyboarding some fun waves at "Off the Walls." We stopped over at Pu'u O' Mahuka Heiau. This is the largest heiau on Oahu. Two large enclosures combine to about 520 feet long. The upper section is said to be the original, older structure and the lower one may have been added later and used to house the kahuna's that practiced here. A third, smaller enclosure at the very bottom is said to have been of even more recent construction. Although still ancient and was simply a reward after a kahuna won a wager with an ali'i, but not considered a part of the heiau by the surveyors.
Kaopulupulu under Kahahana is the furthest remembered individual officiant Kahuna of this Heiau. He may have lived here just before his doomed journey at the command of Kahahana. Later the Kahuna of Kahekili II, and then Kalanikupule were based here. As well as Kamehameha I's Kahuna, Hewahewa. As were all the watered lands gifted to the Kahuna class since ancient times Waimea, Pupukea, Waiahole, and Hakipu'u. Before that the heiau may have been used by the kahunas of Kuali'i. Even further, ancient construction may be credited to that of the menehune.
Some connect this heiau with the kidnapping and sacrifice of the captain and astronomer of the Daedalus in 1792. Along with Kupopolo Heiau on the opposite side of Waimea Valley. Kahekili II's pahupu' warriors tattooed just like Kahekili II, ambushed the foreigners in order to secure muskets and swords for the coming wars. They were stoned and then taken to be sacrificed further away in Mokuleia. Far from the avenging guns of the Daedelus, shelling Waimea.
Another saying is that the fires of Pu' O' Mahuka warmed Kauai. Although that was far-fetched it does hint to the purpose of the heiau being sacrificial...
These images are taken starting from the north east corner and following a trail around the entire complex.
This large obscure stone sits outside of the heiau but I'm sure it must have had some kind of use. It has two small pits in it that collect rain water.
The two large sections of the heiau are divided by this short wall that seems to have the straightest and most even placement in the entire complex.
On both sides of the dividing wall are paved entrances to the higher section. This side has a kind of stairway leading upward a few steps.
Inside the lower section are smaller enclosures that may have been house sites for the kahuna here. Although most of it is over grown and hard to tell exactly what the structures look like with ought crawling around inside.
Here is the opposite entrance with flat stepping stones.
This upper wall is in very good condition and shows the expertise of the heiau builders.
We found this crazy shrine set up at the top of the heiau, and my wife recognized that the fake money is what the Chinese use for burning during funeral memorials. What the heck happened here on new years eve???
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