Menehune Fishpond

The Menehune Fishpond, near Līhuʻe, Hawai`i, on the island of Kaua`i, is a historic Hawaiian fishpond. Also known as Alakoko Fishpond,[2] it has been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Menehune Fishpond
Menehune Fishpond is located in Hawaii
Menehune Fishpond
LocationOn the Hulēʻia River south of Lihue (viewable from lookout on south side of Puhi Road)
Nearest cityLihue, Hawaii
Coordinates21.9525°N 159.375278°W / 21.9525; -159.375278
Area5 acres (2.0 ha)
Architectural styleHawaiian fishpond
NRHP reference No.73000677[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 14, 1973

The pond is bounded by a 900-foot-long wall (270 m) at a large bend in Hulēʻia River.[3][4] It has been deemed "the most significant fishpond on Kauai, both in Hawaiian legends and folklore and in the eyes [of] Kauai's people today".[5] As the largest fishpond on Kaua`i, it is estimated to have been constructed in the 15th century, and may be the first brackish-water fishpond in the Hawaiian Islands. Its construction is traditionally attributed to the Menehune, a mythical people said to have inhabited Hawai`i before the arrival of the Hawaiians.[5]

It was listed on the U.S. National Register in 1973; the listing included one contributing site and one contributing structure.[1] In 2021 it was purchased by The Trust for Public Land and conveyed to Malama Hule‘ia, which has been restoring the land since 2018.[6] Restoration projects have included removing 26 acres (11 ha) of invasive mangrove and rebuilding a rock wall.[7]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. TenBruggencate, Jan (October 12, 2020). "Journey of a Name". Mālama Hulē‘ia.
  3. Kirch, Patrick Vinton (1996). "Menehune Fishpond". Legacy of the Landscape: An Illustrated Guide to Hawaiian Archaeological Sites. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-8248-1739-7.
  4. Fujimoto, Dennis (July 7, 2020). "New life for Alekoko". The Garden Island. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  5. Martin, B. Jean (September 29, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Menehune Fishpond / Alekoko Fishpond". National Park Service. and accompanying two photos from 1973
  6. Bodon, Sabrina (November 17, 2021). "Alakoko 'Menehune' Fishpond saved; Chan, Zuckerberg make $4 million donation". The Garden Island. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
  7. "Thousands of volunteers help restore 600-year-old Alakoko fishpond outside Līhu'e". Kauai Now. October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.


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