Community members and Hawaii County Parks and Recreation are coming together for a ceremony to celebrate the renaming of Kahaki Park in Puna to its original place name.
In March, the Hawaii County Council passed a bill to rename the park Kahaki Park to Waiakahi‘ula Beach Park in honor of the history and deep culture rooted in the area.
Kahaki Park is located in the historical boundaries of the Waiakahi‘ula ahupua‘a, which is adjacent to the Keonepoko, Kahuwai, Nanwale and Honolulu ahupua‘a and encompasses Puna’s Hawaiian Shores and Hawaiian Beaches subdivisions.
The park contains remnants of the ancient Hawaiian village of Waiakahi‘ula, a once densely populated settlement with dispersed structures. Among the notable cultural and historical features are a well-preserved canoe shed, foundations of a house, and various agricultural sites.
Waiakahi‘ula, means ” the place where the water runs red,” which comes from cascading streams along the cliffs that take on a reddish hue during the season of Ho‘oilo—Hawaii’s wet and rainy season.
Waiakahi‘ula gained notoriety for a tumultuous battle that unfolded in the neighboring Keonepokoiki ahupua‘a during the reign of the Hawaiian ali‘i, ‘Ahia, a prominent and oppressive leader of the Puna region in the late 1700s.
Faced with noncompliance and rebellion, ‘Ahia ordered his men to slaughter the maka‘ainana, or commoners. However, prepared to resist, the maka‘ainana of the ahupua‘a of Keonepokonui, Keonepokoiki, and Waiakahi‘ula came together and engaged in battle.
During the battle, the maka‘ainana invoked the rains of Puna through ritual, resulting in a torrential rainstorm and a flood that carried the fallen bodies of ‘Ahia’ s men toward the ocean.
Despite the success of the maka‘ainana in battle, the coastal area of Waiakahi‘ula also became the final resting place for many ‘iwi kupuna.
It is believed that the battleground is located in the ahupua‘a of Waiakahi‘ula, where the present- day Keonepoko Elementary School stands.
Renaming Kahakai Park to honor its original place name of Waiakahi‘ula reflects a dedicated commitment to preserving the cultural and historical significance of the aina while ensuring that its mo‘olelo is not only preserved, but also endures, allowing it to be appreciated by future generations.
The renaming ceremony will be at the park and will feature a kipaepae led by Hawaii Community College’s I Ola Haloa, speakers, a ho‘ike with local students and a lunch fresh from an imu.
The event is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3 at Waiakahi‘ula Beach Park, located at Papio Street and Kahaki Boulevard.
