Where it begins

Pāʻaiea, The Storied Fishpond of kamehameha

Buried beneath a rust-colored flow of pāhoehoe lies a place of abundance, engineering, and legend. Pāʻaiea, once an enormous, thriving loko iʻa on the North Kona coast was filled by lava flows in 1801. What was lost from the landscape still lives in the winds, the stones, and the knowledge passed forward.

Small tree with long, narrow leaves growing on a grassy edge beside calm water under a cloudy sky.

Calm ocean waters bordered by black volcanic rocks with a palm tree and distant mountain under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Aerial view of rugged rocky terrain surrounded by calm deep blue-green water, with cracks or narrow channels visible in the rocks.

Aerial view of a volcanic lava channel with dark cooled lava and yellow-green moss or vegetation along its edges.

Tall palm trees surrounding a calm pond with a small rocky island in a tropical setting.

Close-up of a palm tree with coconuts and green foliage under a cloudy sky.

Tropical shoreline with a small palm tree, lush green plants, calm water, and distant trees with mountains and blue sky in the background.

Split view of a fish swimming underwater above rocky seabed with trees and a mountain landscape in the background.

Volcanic rocky hill with sparse vegetation under a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds.

Calm water with a bird standing on a rock at dusk, palm trees silhouetted against a darkening sky.

Sunset over paʻaiea with rocky banks and trees under a partly cloudy sky.

A Pond of Purpose, Built by many hands

At the westernmost point of the island of Hawaiʻi, between Kaʻelehuluhulu and Keāhole Point, a royal fishpond of Kamehameha once spread across the coastal plain. Known as Pāʻaiea, it was more than a place for raising fish. It was a prized loko iʻa for aliʻi, engineered by expert kāhuna, stewarded by konohiki, and sustained by a complex system of walls, gates, springs, and brackish pools.

This was a landscape of abundance and intention, situated beside one of Kamehameha’s favorite aku fishing grounds, and reflective of his role not only as a ruler, but as a caretaker of land and sea. Though completely buried by lava in 1801, Pāʻaiea remains central to understanding how Native Hawaiians lived, adapted, and thrived in Kekahawaiʻole, a waterless land shaped by Hualālai and the Mumuku and ʻEka, winds of the region.

"It is said that inland from that black sand from that place called Hoʻonā to Mahaiʻula there was a large fish pond named Pāʻaiea. There was this famous saying about this fish pond, the stars of the heaven are above and Pāʻaiea is below. The reason for this saying was its really large size. Within the wide waters of this pond were numerous little islets, which were compared to the stars in the heavens."

Stephen L. Desha

Kamehameha and His Warrior Kekūhaupi‘o

Before and After the Flow of 1801

The exact interior layout of Pāʻaiea remains unknown. A historical account describe it as three miles long and a mile and a half wide, making it one of the largest fishponds in Hawaiʻi. At that scale, the pond likely incorporated multiple construction methods: seawalls connecting natural rock formations, anchialine pools providing freshwater, and islets dotting the interior. Fishermen traveled through the pond by canoe, using it as a shortcut to avoid paddling against the ʻEka wind and ocean currents. The orange-hued areas visible today mark where lava met water in 1801, but what lies beneath remains unknown, buried under many feet of multicolored lava rock.

Stories of Place

Reading the Land: How Lava Tells the story of Pāʻaiea

When lava flows into water, the rising steam thermally oxidizes iron in the molten rock, creating a distinctive orange rust color in the cracks and on the surface. Today, an orange-hued plateau visible from Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway marks where once were the waters of Pāʻaiea. The 1801 flow entered through active lava tubes, then advanced through the pond toward the ocean. While fresh pāhoehoe elsewhere appears shiny black, the areas that filled the fishpond reveal themselves through their rust-colored signatures—geological evidence of the moment fire met water and transformed a thriving ecosystem into stone.

Explore the 1801 Flow Virtual Tour

3D render composite showing Pāʻaiea fishpond with Hualālai mountain in the background, created by Alan Ohara

Exploring Pāʻaiea's History

Loko Iʻa as Complete Ecosystems

Naturalist Bobby Camara explains how Hawaiian kāhuna (experts) possessed sophisticated engineering and design skills to construct massive fishponds like Pāʻaiea, dispelling myths about "stone age" limitations and recounting the professional expertise behind ancient Hawaiian aquaculture.

Research on the Boundaries of Pāʻaiea

Bobby Camara explains how the late USGS geophysicist Jim Kauahikaua traced Pāʻaiea's boundaries by identifying orange-hued lava between Keāhole Point and Kaʻelehuluhulu, where the 1801 flow met pond water. Historical accounts describe the pond as three miles long, serving as a protected canoe route.

Pele's seeming Affinity for Fishponds

Bobby Camara describes a remarkable pattern across 200 years and three volcanoes. Hualālai's 1801 flow buried Pāʻaiea. Maunaloa's 1859 eruption filled Wainānāliʻi and Kīhole. In 2018, Kīlauea's lava made a U-turn to reclaim Waiapele lake before entering the ocean at Kapoho, where another fishpond once stood.

Uncover the Layers of Pāʻaiea

Close-up view of hardened black and brown lava rock formations on a volcanic field.

Geology: Beneath the Rust-Colored Flow

Uncover layers of lava, freshwater, and memory that define this coast. From ancestral knowledge to USGS maps, the land reveals where Pāʻaiea once thrived.

Trace the Landscape

Curved rocky shoreline and inland shallow lagoon with scattered green bushes under a cloudy sky.

Loko Iʻa: Engineering Abundance

Stone walls, tidal flows, and native species made loko iʻa engines of food and knowledge. Built with intention, they reveal deep expertise in living with place.

Explore the System