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Hamama Stream and Falls
Posted: November 25, 2009
I hiked up Hamama Stream to cool off in the mountain pools along the stream and to see the waterfall in the very back of Waihee Valley.
Kahaluu is blessed with abundant fresh water from springs in the very back of Waihee Valley. In ancient times, the water was diverted through an elaborate system of terraces for the cultivation of kalo (taro) before the water entered Kaneohe Bay.
Although the terraces have long been abandoned, remnant kalo plants still thrive in the stream. You can tell ground water is the source of the stream by how crystal clear the water is and by its cold temperature. You can also tell because there is a constant flow of water in the stream — even in the driest summer months.
The sweet scent of yellow ginger filled the air as I splashed my way upstream from one side of the bank to the other.
The further upstream I got the more white ginger I saw. Although ginger is a highly invasive species that has taken over many native forests, I love the sweet fragrance of ginger.
When I reach the crystal clear mountain pool at the foot of a defunct dam I was tempted to jump in but I wanted to get to the waterfall in the back of the valley.
. The water is crystal clear and cold.
So I climbed out the mountain pool to hike up the road that climbs and winds its way to the back of the valley where a number of banyan trees with impressive hanging aerial roots grow along side the road.
While hiking to the end of the road, I saw a number of kalo plants and ferns thriving along the banks of the stream.
When I reached the end of the road, I was thrilled to see Hamama Falls – the source of the stream — which falls nearly 80 feet into a shallow pool at the base.
The ground water is so abundant that the Board of Water Supply installed a series of pipes that tap the dike compartment inside the mountain to provide drinking water to the residents of windward Oahu.
Since I could hike for only a few hours, I needed to turn around to return. What a great place to escape the summer heat.
–
SOURCES
Kuu Home O Kahaluu, Olomana — Robert Beaumont and Jerry Santos, Lyrics Download
Native Hawaiian Plants, University of Hawaii, Department of Botany
Sites of Oahu, by Elspeth Sterling and Catherine Summers, Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1978, p. 192
What a beautiful hike and great pictures! If you ever lead this hike again I would certainly like to join the group.
Carren Gaddis