Ahupua'a O Kahana State Park

Ahupua'a O Kahana State Park, formerly Kahana Valley State Park, is located on the windward side of Oahu between Kaneohe and Laie. It is Hawaii's only public ahupua'a, and it stretches from the sea to the tip of Pu'u Pauao at 2,670 feet. It has a tropical climate, and it is one of the wettest areas in Oahu, averaging nearly 300 inches per year in parts of the valley. The main purpose of the park is to embrace and teach Hawaiian culture.

History

Before Western civilization came to the islands, Kahana had a strong community. It had fresh water, abundant seafood, and a stable supply of taro, which was grown in fields with advanced irrigation systems. However, in the 1800s, with King Kamehameha's unification of Hawaii and the introduction of Europeans, the community fell into steep decline due to foreign diseases, sugar cane cultivation and the military's use of the valley as a World War II jungle warfare training center. In the early 1900s most of the valley was owned by Mary E. Foster, and after her death the valley was given to Bishop Estate. Then it was sold to the state, and later became a state park. Today, only 31 families live in the valley.

Fauna

Kahana State Park supports a wide variety of birds and fish. Hawaii's only freshwater fish, the goby, can be found in the streams of the lower valley. Mullet and milkfish are common in the Huilua Fishpond. Bird species that can be found in the lower valley include black crowned night heron, golden plover, ruddy turnstone, sanderling, wandering tattler, the Hawaiian Coot and the Hawaiian Gallinule. These last two species are endangered. In the upper valley are many native species of songbirds, along with non-native species of mynahs, cardinals, doves and ricebirds.

Feral pigs were introduced to the valley by the first Polynesian settlers. While this is an ideal environment for the pigs, these animals are a serious threat to the rest of the valley.

Flora

The expanse of land in Kahana Valley from the sea to the mountains contains many different vegetation zones. The lowlands consist of koa, hibiscus, shrub, hala, and pastureland. Further up the valley, in the wetter areas, the dominant vegetation consists of mountain apple, guava, ti and bamboo.

Activities

Hiking

There are two hiking trails in the valley, both of which do not require permits and are suitable for whole families. The first is Kapa'ele'ele Ko'a and Keaniani Lookout Trail. It is a mile long loop that takes a decent hiker roughly an hour. The second is Nakoa Trail which is named so for numerous koa trees found along this 2.5 mile long trail through tropical rainforest. Hikers on this trail can swim in the Kahana stream, which is traversed twice.

Camping and Hunting

There are ten campsites located on the beach which can be used by permit only. Hunting is also permitted within designated boundaries on weekends and holidays only, and by permit only.

See also

*List of Hawaiian state parks