Wailua River State Park and the Wailua Complex of Heiaus, which it includes, are located on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The park consists primarily of the Wailua River valley, which is the only navigable river in Hawaii. Visitors to this park can kayak, take riverboat cruises and explore the rainforest. Even motorboats and water skiing are permissible on the river.

Wailua Complex of Heiaus

The Wailua Complex of Heiau, a National Historic Landmark, was once the center of chiefly power on the island. It contains the remains of several important structures: places of worship (heiau), places of refuge (puuhonua), and sites related to royal births. The historical value of these sites are irreplaceable to the Hawaiian culture. They worked with each other, and other heiau on other islands, such as Puu O Mahuka Heiau on the island of Oahu. The most important sites are: Of these, only Holoholokū has been largely restored.

Heiau images

History

Wailua was the land of the ali'i (kings) and was one of the largest ahupuaa (subdivisions) on Kauai. It is said that King Kaumuali'i's favorite place to live was in Wailua. The huaka'i po (Ghost Warriors) are said to walk ancient trails along the river at night up to Mount Waiʻaleʻale. Wailua has many moo ōlelo (ancient stories) of the area that begins at Hikinaakalā heiau to Kaawakoo atop Mount Waialeale, the area long known as the King's highway, and it is still very sacred to many Hawaiians.