The Hawaiian chant echoed through the alien forest of bamboo, cinnamon and eucalyptus. The chanter explained, "If we are welcome here, we will hear the wind." The air was still, then a gust of wind came rustling gently through the tree tops. The hikers were in awe; the welcome sign was clearly magical.
Kaniakapupu, "the singing of the land shells," was the summer palace of King Kamehameha III. Built in 1845, it was in ruins by 1855, and soon forgotten by most Hawaiians.
Its rock walls held together by a mortar made from coral are crumbling, but the community efforts to preserve it can be seen.
A plaque in front of Kaniakapupu, tells about the site, sacred to the Hawaiians.
The kitchen structure lies to the left of the building.
The pit where coral was heated to make the mortar lies in the rear to the right.
In the rear, a short distance from the structures, the remains of the pipe system that took water to lower Nu`uanu Valley can be seen. This water was used to run the hydroelectric plant that provided electricity to `Iolani Palace, one of the first places in the world to be lit by electric lights.
Kaniakapupu was just the first stop on our Nu`uanu Pali hike.
The hike started from the Pali and followed the Old Pali Highway, where we had panoramic views of Kaneohe.
At one point, we crossed under the highway. Rains came and went; we were soaked. The trail took us on old highways and cobblestone carriage roads out of the past.
It eventually took us to a waterfall where we had lunch and rested.
It was a fruitful hike. Hikers got to sample guavas, rose apples, thimble berries, and mountain apples. We also picked mamaki leaves to make tea.
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