The Legend of Kaena Point

Kaena Point is a point of land on the northwestern coast of Oahu. It's Hawaiian name is Kalae o Kaena, which means "The Cape of Kaena". A huge boulder can be found nearby. It is called Pohaku o Kauai, which means, "Rock of Kauai". Both of these landmarks have been attributed to a single man.

It was on a stormy night, long ago, that a baby boy was born. The sky was illumined by lightening, and thunder shook the land. Heavy dark clouds released torrents of rain upon the mountains. The rushing water washed red soil down through the valleys until the flooded streams and pounding waterfalls turned red. The people called it a blood rain.

A rainbow appeared above the house in which the baby was born. It outlasted the storm and lingered on when the sky cleared. It was thought that the rainbow was a result of the child's power emanating from him. Throughout history, chiefs of Hawaii have been accompanied by rainbows all their lives.

The child was named Haupu. He displayed great strength at an early age and eventually grew to be a great warrior. He conquered armies single-handedly and could uproot a tree to sweep enemies aside. He was feared as much for his exceptional power, as for his quick temper.

One night, Haupu slumbered in his royal rest house on Kauai. His house was built on the side of a mountain with a beautiful view of the ocean and the island of Oahu, some thirty miles away. Haupu's sleep was restless as far away noises floated around his house. He awoke to the sounds of men talking and shouting a great distance away. After investigating outside, he noticed lights on the ocean toward Oahu. In his sleep-heavy mind, he perceived a fleet of warriors paddling from Oahu to wage war on his people.

Haupu rushed to the edge of a nearby cliff. He heaved up a huge boulder, the size of a house, and spun around to give momentum to his already great power. He flung the boulder into the sky and it soared across the channel between the two islands.

Kaena was an Oahu chief. On this night, he had organized a night fishing expedition. His people turned out in canoes of all sizes, with an abundance of torches and their largest fish nets. The nets had been placed in all the best strategic spots so that the men just needed to rouse the fish and frighten them into the nets. Voices grew louder as paddlers splashed their way to the center of the great fish trap, Chief Kaena in the middle of it all. So loud was the joyous raucous that no one noticed the huge boulder descending upon the party until it was too late.

The canoes were smashed and shattered. Chief Kaena lost his life along with many of his men. The boulder plowed through the fishing party and hit the water with such force that waves washed huge amounts of sand onto the shore, forming a point of land. The boulder itself was entrenched on the ocean floor, but was so large that it stuck up above the surface of the water.

The survivors of the disastrous fishing expedition thereafter named the cape, Kaena, after their fallen chief. The boulder, they named the Rock of Kauai.

The Legend of Kaena Point
By Genesis