Waiākea is an ancient subdivision (ahupuaʻa) in the Hilo District of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, located in the area of coordinates 19°40′32″N 155°6′10″W / 19.67556°N 155.10278°WCoordinates: 19°40′32″N 155°6′10″W / 19.67556°N 155.10278°W.
Origin
The name comes from wai ākea in the Hawaiian Language meaning "broad waters",[1] and applied to the estuary now known as Wailoa River. Waiākea is home to many and has its own schools. It stretches for miles and ends at Waiākea-Uka (the area on the slopes of Mauna Loa). Waiākea-Uka houses many expensive houses, including a Swiss chateau. There are also some cattle farms in Waiākea-Uka, and a state forest reserve.[2]
There are four schools located in the Waiākea complex: Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakea Intermediate School, and Waiakea High School.
History
When William Ellis visited in 1823, Waiākea was the main settlement on Hilo Bay[3]. The Waiākea Mission (now called Haili Church) was the first church in eastern Hawaiʻi island, founded in 1824. Several eruptions of Mauna Loa (the most recent in 1984) have threatened the area.[4] Tsunamis devastated Waiākea-Kai (along the coast), with the largest in 1949 and 1960.[5] A clock found in the rubble set to the exact time when it stopped in 1960 serves as a memorial.
References
- ^ lookup of "waiakea" on Hawaiian Place Names web site
- ^ "Waiakea Natural Area Reserve". http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/nars/reserves/big-island/waiakea. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
- ^ Ellis, W. A Narrative of an 1823 Tour through Hawaiʻi, republished 2004, Mutual Publishing, Honolulu ISBN 1-56647-605-4, chapters 11 and 12
- ^ Rubin, Ken; Rochelle Minicola (2004). "Mauna Loa eruption history". Hawaii Center for Volcanology. http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/mloa-eruptions.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.
- ^ Walter Dudley and Scott Stone (2000). The Tsunami of 1946 and 1960 and the Devastation of Hilo Town. Donning Company. ISBN 1578641233.
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