By Meryl Andersen and Roberts Leinau
Hawaiians settled in the Waialua District around 1000 A.D. and established villages along valleys, streams, and bays such as Anahulu Valley. A large population of Hawaiians lived in this area at that time. They were drawn here by the rich ocean waters and fertile lands dotted with natural springs, where they grew kalo (taro) and ʻuala (sweet potato). The rich volcanic soils of the alluvial fans give way to coastal flats and wetlands. Kaukonahua Stream is the longest stream on all of the islands, and Anahulu Stream (1) has agricultural terracing eight miles mauka. Well-developed fishponds like Loko Ea Pond also helped to sustain the residents, as did the bountiful harvest from the sea. The Haleʻiwa area was well known for its production of kalo, from which poi—the main staple in the Hawaiian diet—was made. This area was considered momona, or bountiful, and was the breadbasket of Oʻahu—or, should we say, the taro basket.
The missionaries arrived in the Waialua District, the Hawaiian district or moku for this area, in 1832. The Emersons arrived at Waialua Bay via steamer and were met by Chief Laʻanui (3) and other Hawaiians whose kūpuna had been living in the area for centuries. The Emersons introduced Christianity to the resident Hawaiians, some who were eager to hear their message. The Waialua Protestant Church was organized in 1832 by the missionaries, specifically the Emersons. This was the third missionary effort to be organized on Oʻahu. The church was later renamed after Queen Liliʻuokalani. She worshipped at the church when she visited her country home next to Loko Ea Fishpond (next to the present Jameson’s). To this day, services at Liliʻuokalani Church are held in Hawaiian and English.
Although Hawaiians introduced kō (sugarcane) early and had developed many different varieties, it wasn’t until around the turn of the century that sugarcane became a major agricultural product. Pioneering this venture was Mr. Halstead. He erected a mill (5) and started sugar production. Mr. Goodale bought the business from Mr. Halstead, and later Waialua Sugar Co. was formed with Benjamin F. Dillingham as the director. Castle & Cooke eventually took over the plantation. Interestingly, Waialua Town was originally centered around Thompson’s Corner, near where the Halstead Sugar Mill stack is. The original Catholic Church was built mauka of Thompson’s Corner, and the ruins and graveyard are still visible.
Today, the sugar is gone, but diversified agriculture is promising, with many crops being grown including kalo, banana, mango, papaya, tomatoes, pineapple, coffee, chocolate, asparagus, lettuce, beef, eggs, tuberose, aquaculture, seed corn, and more. A strong farm-to-table movement will hopefully help bring the promise of a renewed ʻāina momona and maintain our heritage of being an agricultural district.
B.F. Dillingham owned the Oʻahu Railway and Land Company, which had spurs to Waiʻanae and Wahiawā. He also laid tracks around Kaʻena Point to Waialua and Kahuku. The train carried sugarcane, passengers, and freight. The railroad to Waialua was built in 1899. At the same time, Mr. Dillingham built the Haleʻiwa Hotel (current site of Haleʻiwa Joe’s and former site of the first Liliʻuokalani Church and Kamani Heiau). This was the first hotel on Oʻahu, built before any hotel in Waikīkī.
By the time World War II broke out, there was a 9-hole golf course adjacent to the Haleʻiwa Hotel. It was a popular visitor destination. After the war broke out, the hotel was utilized by the military, then fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1952.
Panoramic image of Haleʻiwa Hotel in 1902, by Melvin Vaniman
The sugar companies needed laborers, so Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Norwegian, Scots (and later Filipino) workers were brought in for the plantations. Stereotypically, the Orientals were field workers and the Portuguese were the first-line supervisors or lunas. Norwegians and Scots became the lunas or office personnel. The Orientals were industrious and soon many left their sugar jobs to go into business for themselves—starting laundries, vegetable and meat markets, tailor shops, barbershops, watch shops, restaurants, a post office, and more. With the opening of the Haleʻiwa Hotel, the business climate expanded (tourism was a factor by then too). Most of the buildings in Haleʻiwa had a business in the front (on the street) with family quarters in the back or upstairs. Most of these buildings are protected today by the City and County Land Use Ordinance Haleʻiwa Special District No. 6.
The name Haleʻiwa is a relatively new name. Haleʻiwa was named sometime after the Emersons’ missionary work began and as the area around Anahulu Stream started to diversify. In Hawaiian, hale means dwelling, and ʻiwa is the name of the frigate bird. So, the literal translation would be “house of the frigate bird.” ʻIwa birds are not seen around Haleʻiwa much now, but at one time it was not unusual to see them. They feed on fish, which they “steal” from other birds at sea, and prefer the updrafts of sea breezes around small coastal islands. So another interpretation of Haleʻiwa is sometimes jokingly suggested as “home of the thief.” Perhaps there is a deeper meaning for the name of our town. Haleʻiwa, or “beautiful home,” was also the name of the seminary for girls.
Our modern-day town of Haleʻiwa was part of the moku (or district) of Waialua (lua – two & wai – “fresh” waters, referring to streams) and was part of two ahupuaʻa, or subdistricts (Pālaʻa and Kawailoa on the north side of Anahulu Stream). Today it is one of the few towns in Hawaiʻi where one can still get a strong sense of an earlier time. Artists render it as romantic, quaint, and rustic. Haleʻiwa has not lost its identity to the architectural solutions that are along every highway on the mainland, and sadly, in most of the towns you go through to get to the North Shore.
During World War II, Haleʻiwa had one of three airfields on the North Shore. Dillingham, Haleʻiwa, and Kahuku Air Fields were all functional during the war. Only Dillingham is still used as an airfield today. Haleʻiwa Air Field is north of Haleʻiwa Beach Park’s Kahalewai Lane and Puaʻena Point. The remains of the single runway that was paved during World War II can still be seen today. Strangely enough, this tiny field, which was never developed into a base of any real size and was an auxiliary field to Wheeler, played a big role on December 7, 1941. On that day, the Japanese heavily strafed the aircraft at Wheeler Field, and few aircraft were able to get airborne to fend them off.
Lt. George S. Welch and 2nd Lt. Kenneth M. Taylor, both P-40 pilots, were at Wheeler when the attack began. Not waiting for instructions, the pilots called ahead to Haleʻiwa and had both their fighters fueled, armed, and warmed up. “There were between 200 and 300 Japanese aircraft,” said Taylor. “There were just two of us!” Lt. Welch was credited with a total of four Japanese planes shot down and Lt. Taylor downed two. Both are credited with being the first “Aces” of World War II. Taylor and Welch were both awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Today, the airfield is used for filming of the TV series Lost. There are many concrete reminders or “pillboxes” of the coastal defenses deployed in and around Haleʻiwa (8).
Haleʻiwa was, and still is, known to be a good place to go fishing. A fleet of fifty or more low-draft boats (of “sampan” design) were moored along Anahulu Stream as recently as the 1960s. Many of the old photos and paintings depict the sampans. Their catch was either iced and sent to Honolulu via taxi or sold locally. The deep-sea fishing is still good, and in June of every year, there is a Hana Paʻa Jackpot Fishing Tournament. There are several charter fishing businesses located at the Haleʻiwa Harbor.
Today, Haleʻiwa is known as the “Surfing Capital of the World,” and surfing brings millions of dollars into the local economy. Duke Kahanamoku and other longboard men surfed on the North Shore, just as the famous Aikau brothers and many other renowned surfers did. Surf on the North Shore was discovered in the late 1950s by California surfers, and it was popularized by Hollywood movies like Gidget Goes Surfing—and the rest is history. The last independent economic impact study during surf season, conducted in the winter of 2006, showed that the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing directly attracted a total number of 7,000 participants and spectators to the North Shore. Those participants and visitors generated $14.6 million in spending, including $8.9 million in direct spending.
The “Haleʻiwa Historic, Cultural & Scenic District No. 6” was established in May 1984, in part as a response to the demolition of the Haleʻiwa Theater in 1983, which mobilized the community to protect the 30 historic buildings in the town. The special design district—or Haleʻiwa Special District, as it later became known—was intended to “perpetuate and enhance the rural character of the existing community, by ensuring that all new development be compatible in design.” The Haleʻiwa Main Street program (now North Shore Chamber of Commerce) was established in 1989 to encourage economic revitalization through historic preservation. It was instrumental in the restoration of the Waialua Courthouse, the Anahulu Bridge, Waialua Community Association, and Mutual Telephone Company Building. The program hopes to add all the historic buildings in the Special District to the Hawaiʻi State Register (which currently only lists the Waialua Courthouse and Haleʻiwa Beach Park) and continue to preserve the area’s history for future generations.
There is much to learn about the history and culture of Haleʻiwa. Today is tomorrow’s history. Haleʻiwa can be no better than we make it or believe it to be. As we move into the future, let us be ever mindful of Haleʻiwa’s unique past—for it is truly one of our greatest assets.
The missionaries arrived in the Waialua District, the Hawaiian district or moku for this area, in 1832. The Emersons arrived at Waialua Bay via steamer and were met by Chief Laʻanui (3) and other Hawaiians whose kūpuna had been living in the area for centuries. The Emersons introduced Christianity to the resident Hawaiians, some who were eager to hear their message. The Waialua Protestant Church was organized in 1832 by the missionaries, specifically the Emersons. This was the third missionary effort to be organized on Oʻahu. The church was later renamed after Queen Liliʻuokalani. She worshipped at the church when she visited her country home next to Loko Ea Fishpond (next to the present Jameson’s). To this day, services at Liliʻuokalani Church are held in Hawaiian and English.
Although Hawaiians introduced kō (sugarcane) early and had developed many different varieties, it wasn’t until around the turn of the century that sugarcane became a major agricultural product. Pioneering this venture was Mr. Halstead. He erected a mill (5) and started sugar production. Mr. Goodale bought the business from Mr. Halstead, and later Waialua Sugar Co. was formed with Benjamin F. Dillingham as the director. Castle & Cooke eventually took over the plantation. Interestingly, Waialua Town was originally centered around Thompson’s Corner, near where the Halstead Sugar Mill stack is. The original Catholic Church was built mauka of Thompson’s Corner, and the ruins and graveyard are still visible.
Today, the sugar is gone, but diversified agriculture is promising, with many crops being grown including kalo, banana, mango, papaya, tomatoes, pineapple, coffee, chocolate, asparagus, lettuce, beef, eggs, tuberose, aquaculture, seed corn, and more. A strong farm-to-table movement will hopefully help bring the promise of a renewed ʻāina momona and maintain our heritage of being an agricultural district.
B.F. Dillingham owned the Oʻahu Railway and Land Company, which had spurs to Waiʻanae and Wahiawā. He also laid tracks around Kaʻena Point to Waialua and Kahuku. The train carried sugarcane, passengers, and freight. The railroad to Waialua was built in 1899. At the same time, Mr. Dillingham built the Haleʻiwa Hotel (current site of Haleʻiwa Joe’s and former site of the first Liliʻuokalani Church and Kamani Heiau). This was the first hotel on Oʻahu, built before any hotel in Waikīkī.
By the time World War II broke out, there was a 9-hole golf course adjacent to the Haleʻiwa Hotel. It was a popular visitor destination. After the war broke out, the hotel was utilized by the military, then fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1952.
Panoramic image of Haleʻiwa Hotel in 1902, by Melvin Vaniman
The sugar companies needed laborers, so Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Norwegian, Scots (and later Filipino) workers were brought in for the plantations. Stereotypically, the Orientals were field workers and the Portuguese were the first-line supervisors or lunas. Norwegians and Scots became the lunas or office personnel. The Orientals were industrious and soon many left their sugar jobs to go into business for themselves—starting laundries, vegetable and meat markets, tailor shops, barbershops, watch shops, restaurants, a post office, and more. With the opening of the Haleʻiwa Hotel, the business climate expanded (tourism was a factor by then too). Most of the buildings in Haleʻiwa had a business in the front (on the street) with family quarters in the back or upstairs. Most of these buildings are protected today by the City and County Land Use Ordinance Haleʻiwa Special District No. 6.
The name Haleʻiwa is a relatively new name. Haleʻiwa was named sometime after the Emersons’ missionary work began and as the area around Anahulu Stream started to diversify. In Hawaiian, hale means dwelling, and ʻiwa is the name of the frigate bird. So, the literal translation would be “house of the frigate bird.” ʻIwa birds are not seen around Haleʻiwa much now, but at one time it was not unusual to see them. They feed on fish, which they “steal” from other birds at sea, and prefer the updrafts of sea breezes around small coastal islands. So another interpretation of Haleʻiwa is sometimes jokingly suggested as “home of the thief.” Perhaps there is a deeper meaning for the name of our town. Haleʻiwa, or “beautiful home,” was also the name of the seminary for girls.
Our modern-day town of Haleʻiwa was part of the moku (or district) of Waialua (lua – two & wai – “fresh” waters, referring to streams) and was part of two ahupuaʻa, or subdistricts (Pālaʻa and Kawailoa on the north side of Anahulu Stream). Today it is one of the few towns in Hawaiʻi where one can still get a strong sense of an earlier time. Artists render it as romantic, quaint, and rustic. Haleʻiwa has not lost its identity to the architectural solutions that are along every highway on the mainland, and sadly, in most of the towns you go through to get to the North Shore.
During World War II, Haleʻiwa had one of three airfields on the North Shore. Dillingham, Haleʻiwa, and Kahuku Air Fields were all functional during the war. Only Dillingham is still used as an airfield today. Haleʻiwa Air Field is north of Haleʻiwa Beach Park’s Kahalewai Lane and Puaʻena Point. The remains of the single runway that was paved during World War II can still be seen today. Strangely enough, this tiny field, which was never developed into a base of any real size and was an auxiliary field to Wheeler, played a big role on December 7, 1941. On that day, the Japanese heavily strafed the aircraft at Wheeler Field, and few aircraft were able to get airborne to fend them off.
Lt. George S. Welch and 2nd Lt. Kenneth M. Taylor, both P-40 pilots, were at Wheeler when the attack began. Not waiting for instructions, the pilots called ahead to Haleʻiwa and had both their fighters fueled, armed, and warmed up. “There were between 200 and 300 Japanese aircraft,” said Taylor. “There were just two of us!” Lt. Welch was credited with a total of four Japanese planes shot down and Lt. Taylor downed two. Both are credited with being the first “Aces” of World War II. Taylor and Welch were both awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Today, the airfield is used for filming of the TV series Lost. There are many concrete reminders or “pillboxes” of the coastal defenses deployed in and around Haleʻiwa (8).
Haleʻiwa was, and still is, known to be a good place to go fishing. A fleet of fifty or more low-draft boats (of “sampan” design) were moored along Anahulu Stream as recently as the 1960s. Many of the old photos and paintings depict the sampans. Their catch was either iced and sent to Honolulu via taxi or sold locally. The deep-sea fishing is still good, and in June of every year, there is a Hana Paʻa Jackpot Fishing Tournament. There are several charter fishing businesses located at the Haleʻiwa Harbor.
Today, Haleʻiwa is known as the “Surfing Capital of the World,” and surfing brings millions of dollars into the local economy. Duke Kahanamoku and other longboard men surfed on the North Shore, just as the famous Aikau brothers and many other renowned surfers did. Surf on the North Shore was discovered in the late 1950s by California surfers, and it was popularized by Hollywood movies like Gidget Goes Surfing—and the rest is history. The last independent economic impact study during surf season, conducted in the winter of 2006, showed that the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing directly attracted a total number of 7,000 participants and spectators to the North Shore. Those participants and visitors generated $14.6 million in spending, including $8.9 million in direct spending.
The “Haleʻiwa Historic, Cultural & Scenic District No. 6” was established in May 1984, in part as a response to the demolition of the Haleʻiwa Theater in 1983, which mobilized the community to protect the 30 historic buildings in the town. The special design district—or Haleʻiwa Special District, as it later became known—was intended to “perpetuate and enhance the rural character of the existing community, by ensuring that all new development be compatible in design.” The Haleʻiwa Main Street program (now North Shore Chamber of Commerce) was established in 1989 to encourage economic revitalization through historic preservation. It was instrumental in the restoration of the Waialua Courthouse, the Anahulu Bridge, Waialua Community Association, and Mutual Telephone Company Building. The program hopes to add all the historic buildings in the Special District to the Hawaiʻi State Register (which currently only lists the Waialua Courthouse and Haleʻiwa Beach Park) and continue to preserve the area’s history for future generations.
There is much to learn about the history and culture of Haleʻiwa. Today is tomorrow’s history. Haleʻiwa can be no better than we make it or believe it to be. As we move into the future, let us be ever mindful of Haleʻiwa’s unique past—for it is truly one of our greatest assets.
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