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The Waters of Kuolani Waianu
Posted: September 14, 2009
I hiked the Kuolani-Waianu Trail to escape the heat and splash in the cool refreshing streams that flow into Kaneohe Bay on the Koolauloa coast of windward Oahu.
The Kuolani-Waianu trail is a 5-mile contour trail that loops in the very back of Waiahole Valley. The trail takes its name from a small peak on ridge between Waiahole and Kaalaea — Kuolani — and a valley known for its crystal clear spring-fed stream — Waianu. After making my way on foot in the back of the valley I descended into a forest of introduced bamboo, paperbark, and strawberry guava trees.
While the cool damp bamboo forest was a pleasure to hike through, bamboo is an invasive species that sends out runners, crowds out other plants, and forms a virtual monoculture. It would be interesting to know what kind of forest was here before the bamboo took over.
Further down the trail, the vegetation gives ways to strawberry guava — an even more invasive plant which was taken over many native forests in Hawaii. Beneath the strawberry guava, I saw patches of indigenous pala’a ferns (Sphenomeris chinensis) growing on clumps of soft green moss.
Beyond the strawberry guava are indigenous uluhe ferns (Dicranopertis linearis) which dominate the ridge. I was pleased to see a cute little bird’s nest on the ground along side mounds of uluhe.
When I reached the stream, the sweet fragrance of white ginger fill the air and I could not resist making my way up the stream to splash in the water. You can tell that ground water is source of a stream because of its cold temperature. Trapped underground for decades, ground water is considerably colder than run-off water.
Non-native hoio ferns, also known as warabi or paco, thrive the banks of the stream along with ginger and other alien plants.
The growing shoots of hoio ferns are edible — they have a nutty flavor that make a delicious addition to any salad. I could not resist breaking-off and eating a number shoots as I climbed out of the stream and made my way up the the trail.
The trail leads to a waterfall about 40 feet high which is fed by a man-made tunnel that taps the ground water in dike compartments deep within the mountains. Based on a ruling by the Hawaii supreme Court in 1993, a portion of the ground water taken by the Waiahole Ditch System and transported to leeward of Oahu since 1916 must be returned to Waiahole Stream to maintain a minimal level of stream flow.
Prior to the ruling, the diverted ground water caused Waiahole Stream to dwindle harming the livelihood of kalo (taro) farmers and the wildlife that depends on constant year-round stream flow. Only since 1997 (just 12 years ago), has the water flow been restored to Waiahole Stream. With the water flow restored, the native hihiwai or freshwater opihi (Neritina granosa) has been reintroduced back into the stream.
Continuing on, I contoured in and out of a number of gullies to complete the Kuolani-Waianu loop and admired the many maiden’s hair ferns that thrive along the trail and stream.
Hard-fought legal battles waged by the residents of Waiahole Valley, Sierra Club, and Earth Justice lead to a new chapter in water rights management in Hawaii. With the restoration of the stream, I look forward to the day when the native plants and animals that once thrived at Kuolani-Waianu make a come back.
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SOURCES
Kuolani-Waianu, Hawaiian Forester and Agriculturalist, Honolulu Advertiser Publisher, 1919
Reintroduction of Hihiwai, Alien ocean: anthropological voyages in microbial seas By Stefan Helmreich
Water and the law in Hawai’ì, By Lawrence H. Miike
Awesome photos…I never knew there were fresh water opihi! It’s been a long time since I felt the ice cold water of a stream…thanks for sharing =)
If you’d like to see a photo of hihiwai — the freshwater opihi — follow this link http://hawaiianforest.com/koloa-gulch-in-hauula