Places on Kauai: Poliahu Heiau

Basic Information

• Name: Poliahu Heiau
• Where: Wailua, Kauai
• Founded: ~1300’s
• Cost: Free
• More Information: Ancient Sites of Kauai

Directions

To get to the Poliahu Heiau take the Kuhio Highway north from Lihue.  After crossing the Wailua River bridge, the Kuamoo Road can be seen on the left.  Follow Kuamoo Road up a high ridge where Poliahu Heiau is visible on the left.

Parking

There is a small parking lot to accommodate the cars that visit Poliahu Heiau.  However, the cars tend to move in and out of the lot fairly quickly so parking should not be a problem if you need to wait a little while for someone to pull out.

Hawaiian Meaning

According to the book, “Place Names of Hawaii” the word “Poliahu” literally means “garment for the bosom”, but it actually is the name for the Hawaiian god of snow that reigns on top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii.  During the winter time Mauna Kea receives snow and thus is why that mountain is associated with the snow god.

Narrative

The Poliahu Heiau is located on the Kuamoo Ridge which is named after the river valley’s guardian spirit Kamokila.  The day I visited the ridge it was raining heavily and the only other visitors to the Poliahu Heiau were the chickens hiding underneath a picnic table:

The view from the Kuamoo Ridge of the Wailua River down below the ridge is quite stunning even in poor weather conditions:

Here is a wider angle view of the Wailua River:

Here is another picture that shows what the Wailua River looks like during clear weather from a prior visit to Kauai:

At the lookout there is a signboard that explains how the Wailua River was a sacred area for native Hawaiians that featured many religious temples called a “heiau”:

Another signboard explains how the Wailua River valley was one of the traditional native Hawaiian land divisions called a “ahupua’a”.  The ahupua’as divided each islands by river valleys ruled by a chief.  This land division system insured that people has resources available to them from mountains all the way to the ocean:

Another signboard explains how much the landscape of the Wailua River has changed over the centuries from growing taro to be grazing land for cattle in more recent decades:

On top of the ridge is where the Poliahu Heiau is located:

The temple was dedicated to the Hawaiian God named “Ku”:

Ku was their God of War which meant that Poliahu Heiau was a site of human sacrifices.  A sign along the temple’s rock wall informs visitors to please be respectful since this is a religious site:

The rocks walls measure 242 by 165 feet in length.  It is believed the walls were once up to 6 feet high.  The walls and the wooden temple inside of it were torn down back in 1819 when King Kamehameha II converted to Christianity and banned the traditional Hawaiian religion:

On the other side of Kuamoo Ridge from Poliahu Heiau is the beautiful Opaeka’a Falls:

Here is a wider angle view of these stunning falls from the ridgeline:

Opaeka’a in Hawaiian means “rolling shrimp”.  The name comes from the fact that at one time there were shrimp that used to live at the base of the falls.  Since it was raining Opaeka’a Falls was roaring with water:

Here is a picture from a prior visit to the falls that shows how it looks during nice weather:

Conclusion

I highly recommend a visit to the Poliahu Heiau even for people not interested in native Hawaiian history and culture.  The views from the Kuamoo Ridge of the Wailua River and Opaeka’a Falls are just too good to pass up.