Honu'apo
History
Honu'apo is located in the heart of the Ka'u District on Hawai'i
Island. The Ka'u region is one of the oldest areas on the island of
Hawai'i both geologically and culturally. Polynesians are believed
to have settled the Hawaiian Islands first in Ka'u. Archaeological
surveys have revealed ancient Hawaiian activity in the Honu'apo area.
More recently, Honu'apo was a village that supported a thriving sugar
industry. The village included a busy wharf, which can still be seen
at the adjacent Whittington Beach Park, as well as a mill and a small
railroad for transporting sugar between the plantations and the mill.
The village and railroad were devastated by a tsunami in 1946.
Honu'apo is a coastal
estuary, which is a place where saltwater and freshwater mingle to
create a rich coastal environment suitable for a rich community of
terrestrial and marine organisms. Although the estuary has been altered
by intense human use, it still has the potential to support native
plants and animals, including the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, or
`Ilio holo i ka uaua and several shorebird species. It is our
hope that the natural properties of this coastal estuary can be fully
restored someday.

Honu'apo Landing and Village in 1908