Waiakeakua

Meaning "water of the gods", the stream and surrounding forest are situated in Mānoa valley.

Waiakeakua Falls, located in the forest in back of Manoa valley, can be reached by walking from Pu'u Pia Trail (green) or Seven Bridgest Trail (yellow).

Waiakeakua Falls, 2018 from  The Hiking HI 

The story of this stream begins when the two gods Kāne and Kanaloa rested in the back of Manoa valley. When they saw Kāmeha‘ikana, the patron of fertility and childbirth, bathing in the stream, they both tried to win her over. When Kāmeha‘ikana's attendant tried to protect her, Kāne struck her, and the attendant was turned to stone. Waiakeakua stream emerged from the earth when Kāne then struck the ground with his staff. Kāne's footprint remains.

Waiakeakua stream and forest is a part of the Ko'olau Mountain Watershed, which flows from the mountains into Manoa stream, flowing into the Ala Wai Canal and ending at the ocean. It is a source of recreation for kanaka, community members, students, and tourists. It is also a habitat for wildlife, and its vegetation provides ground cover to protect from erosion and aid groundwater recharge.

Natural Resources of the Ko'olau (from KMWP  website )

Waiakeakua in the past

Waiakeakua has gone through a great transformation throughout the years.

Sacred forest: 100s BC- 1700s AD

Previously the forest was sacred, and its waters were reserved for the high chiefs.

Deforestation, population growth: 1800s

1825: 100 acres of sugar-cane were established; 1879: Mountain slopes were stripped of their tree cover and transitioned to pasture land.

Agriculture: 1900s

1904: Creation of first forest reserves to protect upper watershed areas; 1919: Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association brought trees from all over the Pacific; 90 Japanese farmers were established in the upper part of the valley. They grew vegetables and flowers.

Albizia introduction: 1917

1917: Albizia introduced as an ornamental and for reforestation; Approximately 140,000 albizia were planted in forestry areas

Albizia Spread and Removal: 2014

2014: Albizia populations on Hawaiʻi Island were mapped

Old (1882) map vs current street map of Manoa valley

The Issues

Waiakeakua Falls, 2022

The majority of the area where Waiakeakua stream flows is covered in alien forest. (See map). One species of particular concern is Falcataria moluccana (Albizia). This is a fast growing tree with many environmental impacts. Albizia grows too fast, and blocks all of the sunlight for understory plant growth, and outcompetes natives. The first major impact is its growth pattern. Albizia growing on the sides of roads can fall on a windy day on whoever is driving past. Albizia naturally loses some of its limbs as well as its leaves, which can cause a hazard to passerbys as well as sudden changes in canopy. The canopy can go from being shaded out to a large gap of sunlight in seconds. Second, the tree is a nitrogen (N) fixer, and its leaves also provide a high source, changing the chemical composition of the soil, and possibly affecting the water as well.

Current Work

Presently, this land is owned by the Board of Water Supply. Uncle Bruce and Aunty Kehau from the Living Life Source Foundation (LLSF) have been stewarding about 2 acres of the forest for the past 10 years. In April 2021, 15 felled invasive Albizia trees with trunk diameters ranging from 30”-48” and log lengths ranging from 60’-120’ were removed on the proposed restoration site, leaving a puka in the forest canopy. This is where Uncle, Aunty, and Matt Lynch (who started the  Albizia project ), started to restore the land by planting culturally significant and native plants such as kalo, koa, and ʻulu. The Albizia project works to "develop innovative uses of the prolific invasive albizia tree and to support native ecosystem restoration". Organizations such as the Manoa Heritage center,  Oahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC) ,  The Koʻolau Mountains Watershed Partnership ( KMWP), and the University of Hawai'i are also involved in building workdays and creating management practices for the Albizia and other invasives.

Waiakeakua Forest Work site

Mānoa Valley from 3225 Pakanu St, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

Ideal Future

Aunty and Uncle both hope that this forest will be a place of nourishment and healing for all that enter and create a connection with it. With their home base at the Chinese Cemetary in Manoa, they are able to create a safe space of healing people and the 'aina in a reciprocal relationship. When we begin our work, we say an oli to ask for permission to enter into this sacred forest. We invite newcomers to share a place that shaped them as well as share an ancestor to bring with them to the forest. This connection to our ancestors and the places we come from is a beautiful reminder that we are still being guided by our experiences and the people that helped us become who we are today. With these building of connections our work will bear more fruit.

Matt Lynch sharing knowledge of place.

This story map was created by the UH Manoa NREM 601 class in 2022

Sienna Streamfellow, Kristina Estrada, Tanner Beckstrom, Nicole Preston

Waiakeakua Falls, 2018 from  The Hiking HI 

Waiakeakua Falls, 2022

Matt Lynch sharing knowledge of place.