Welcome

Our Mission

To preserve and malama Honolulu’s last fishponds for community education.

Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center Vision

We envision East O‘ahu where fish are plentiful, historic Hawaiian fishponds

are restored and Native Hawaiian practices perpetuated.

Our Goals

To restore Kalauha’iha’i in conjunction with the UH Hawaiian Studies Malama ‘Aina Program.

To facilitate cultural learning for the benefit of the Native Hawaiian people and the broader community.

To strengthen community and Hawaiian values.

This ancient fishpond is located in Niu, O’ahu. It is fed by a fresh water artesian spring.

It was last cared for by Mr. Tad Hara, a native of Opihikao on the island of Hawai’i.

When Mr. Hara was a youth in Opihikao, his father passed away. He was hanai (adopted)

by his neighbor, a Hawaiian fisherman and kahuna, who taught Mr. Hara about the ocean and Hawaiian culture. It was with a deep sense of aloha in which Mr. Hara cared for this completely unique fishpond found in East O’ahu.

Please contact us if you would like to support our effort to save this historic fishpond.

Contact Us:

Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center

P.O. Box 240204

Honolulu, Hawai’i 96824-0204

The remnants of the largest fishpond in all of Polynesia is located in East O’ahu.

Kanewai Fishpond

Kuli’ou’ou, O’ahu

Legendary fisherman George Nakayama.

To learn more about the history of Maunalua, click on the Maunalua.net

button above.

Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization.

Click on play button to view

Mr. Hara and Kalauha’i’ha’i fishpond.

Click on picture above to view rare footage of Keahupua -O- Maunalua Fishpond in the 1930's.

For centuries it abounded with mullet like these shown jumping.

Our community has no restoration access to Kalauha'iha'i and Kanewai Fishponds. For restoration to happen, Governor Lingle needs to issue an executive order setting aside these fishponds for the public interest. This won't cost anything since we are only talking about restoring property the State already owns!

Your letters brought change before and we now have a law protecting our fishponds from sale.

However, letting our fishponds needlessly deteriorate behind locked gates is no longer acceptable either. Many have asked how they can continue to help. Here is how:

Please contact Governor Lingle today and urge her to officially set aside our fishponds

for restoration so that our future generations can enjoy them..

Email: governor.lingle@hawaii.gov

Phone: 808 586-0034

Fax: 808 586-0006

IMMEDIATE - KOKUA THE FISHPONDS TODAY! August 2010