“When names are replaced, so are their senses of place, their networks of meaning, their value systems.”

-N. Haʻalilio Solomon

MAUNALUA

Maunalua, meaning "two mountains," reflects the iconic ridges of Kohelepelepe and Kuamo‘okāne that frame its shores on O‘ahu’s southeastern coast. Once a thriving ahupua‘a, Maunalua was the home to Hawaiʻi’s largest fishpond, known as Keahupuaomaunalua or Kuapā.

Kohelepelepe

The name Kohelepelepe is the traditional Hawaiian name for what is now commonly known as Koko Crater, located on the island of Oʻahu. In Hawaiian, "Kohelepelepe" translates to "fringed vagina", and it holds deep cultural and mythological significance tied to stories of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes.

KUAMO’OKĀNE 

Kuamo‘okāne (Koko Head) is located at the eastern rim of Maunalua Bay and the hill above Hanauma Bay. Kuamo‘okāne was called “Mo‘okua o Kāne‘apua,” which means “the backbone of Kāne‘apua.” Kāne‘apua, the younger brother of Hawaiian akua Kāne and Kanaloa, was left there by his brothers because he was slow to return with fresh water from a spring on the hill. Kāne‘apua threw himself face-down to the ground, and his body remains there as Kuaomo‘okāne.

Kūpikipikiʻō

Kūpikipikiʻō is the traditional Hawaiian name for the area known as Black Point, the protruding land mass connected to Lēʻahi or Diamond Head. The name can be interpreted as describing choppy or turbulent seas, reflecting the wild ocean conditions associated with the area. This name reflects the natural characteristics of the place, honoring its original identity before modern renaming and development.

References:

Maunalua.net. (n.d.). About Maunalua Bay. Retrieved [January, 2025], from http://www.maunalua.net/about.html

Puku‘i, Mary Kawena, Samuel H. Elbert, and Esther T. Mookini. Place Names of Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 1976

Stump, Jane Barr. Our Hawai‘i Kai: A History of Hawai‘i Kai and Maunalua Book 1, Manuscript. Hanauma Bay Education Program Library

Other Resources