Nuuanu Pali is a section of the windward cliff (pali in Hawaiian

Hawaiian language

The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...

) of the Koolau

Koolau Range

Koolau Range is a name given to the fragmented remnant of the eastern or windward shield volcano of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It is not a mountain range in the normal sense, because it was formed as a single mountain called Koolau Volcano...

 mountain located at the head of Nuuanu Valley on the island of Oahu

Oahu

Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...

. It has a panoramic view of the windward (northeast) coast of Oahu. The Pali Highway (Hawaii State Highway 61

Hawaii State Highway 61

Hawaii Route 61, often called the Pali Highway, is the main highway connecting downtown Honolulu, Hawaii with the windward side of Oahu island...

) connecting Kailua/Kāneohe

Kane'ohe, Hawai'i

Kāneohe is a census-designated place included in the City and County of Honolulu and located in Hawaii state District of Koolaupoko on the Island of Oahu. In the Hawaiian language, kāne ohe means "bamboo man"...

 with downtown Honolulu runs through the Nuuanu Pali Tunnels

Nu‘uanu Pali Tunnels

The Nuuanu Pali Tunnels are a set of four highway tunnels on the Pali Highway which pass through the Nuuanu Pali...

 bored into the cliffside.

The area is also the home of the Nuuanu Freshwater Fish Refuge and the Nuuanu Reservoir in the jurisdiction of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources

Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources

The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources is a part of the Hawaii state government dedicated to managing state parks and other natural resources of the state of Hawaii.-Divisions:...

.

The Nuuanu Pali State Wayside is a lookout above the tunnels where visitors are treated to a panoramic view of the Oahu's windward side with sweeping views of Kāneohe, Kāneohe Bay

Kane'ohe Bay

Kāneohe Bay, at 45 km², is the largest sheltered body of water in the main Hawaiian Islands. This reef-dominated embayment constitutes a significant scenic and recreational feature along the windward coast of the Island of Oahu...

, and Kailua. It is also well-known for strong Trade wind

Trade wind

The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...

s that blow through the pass (Now bypassed by the Nuuanu Pali Tunnels

Nu‘uanu Pali Tunnels

The Nuuanu Pali Tunnels are a set of four highway tunnels on the Pali Highway which pass through the Nuuanu Pali...

), forming a sort of natural wind tunnel

Wind tunnel

A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...

.

History

The Nuuanu Pali has been a vital pass from ancient times

Ancient Hawaii

Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...

 to the present because it is a low, traversable section of the Koolau mountain range that connects the leeward side of the mountains, Honolulu to the windward side, Kailua and Kāneohe. The route drew settlers who formed villages in the area and populated Nuuanu Valley for a thousand years.

The Nuuanu Pali was the site of the Battle of Nuuanu

Battle of Nu'uanu

The Battle of Nuuanu , fought in May 1795 on the southern part of the island of Oahu, was a key battle in the final days of King Kamehameha I's wars to unify the Hawaiian Islands...

, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oahu, bringing it under his rule. In 1795 Kamehameha I

Kamehameha I

Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...

 sailed from his home island of Hawaii

Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...

 with an army of 10,000 warriors, including a handful of non-Hawaiian foreigners. After conquering the islands of Maui

Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...

 and Molokai

Molokai

Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...

, he moved on to Oahu. The pivotal battle for the island occurred in Nuuanu Valley, where the defenders of Oahu, led by Kalanikūpule

Kalanikupule

Kalanikūpule was the 27th Mōī of Maui and King of Oahu. He was the last king to physically fight with Kamehameha I over the Hawaiian Islands. Kalanikūpule was the last of the longest line of Alii Aimoku in the Hawaiian Islands.- Early life :...

, were driven back up into the valley where they were trapped above the cliff. More than 400 of Kalanikūpule's soldiers were driven off the edge of the cliff to their deaths 1,000 feet below.

In 1845 the first road was built over the Nuuanu Pali to connect Windward Oahu with Honolulu. In 1898 this road was developed into a highway which during construction 800 skulls were found believed to be the remains of the warriors that fell to their deaths from the cliff above. This road was later replaced by the Pali Highway and the Nuuanu Pali Tunnels

Nu‘uanu Pali Tunnels

The Nuuanu Pali Tunnels are a set of four highway tunnels on the Pali Highway which pass through the Nuuanu Pali...

 in 1959 which is the route used today.

The now extinct Oahu nukupuu was last collected in this valley.

Superstition

Two large stones near the back of Nuuanu Valley, Hapuu and Ka-lae-hau-ola, were said to represent a pair of goddesses who were guardians of the passage down the pali. Travellers would leave offerings of flowers or kapa

Kapa

Kapa is a fabric that was made by Native Hawaiians from the bast fibres of certain species of trees and shrubs in the orders Rosales and Malvales. It is similar to tapa found elsewhere in Polynesia but differs in the methods used in its creation...

(bark cloth) to ensure a safe trip, and parents buried the umbilical cords of newborns under the stones as a protection against evil.

It is said there is a moo wahine (lizard woman) who lingers around the pass. A moo wahine is mythical creature who takes the form of a beautiful woman and leads male travelers to their deaths off the cliff. She is similar to a western poltergeist

Poltergeist

A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...

 or mermaid

Mermaid

A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...

.

Hawaiian folklore

Folklore in Hawaii

Folklore in Hawaii in modern times is a mixture of various aspects of Hawaiian mythology and various urban legends that have been passed on regarding various places in the Hawaiian islands. The following is a partial list of some of these legends....

 holds that one should never carry pork

Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....

 over Nuuanu Pali, especially at night. Motorists reported that their cars mysteriously stopped and would not start until the pork was removed from the car. Pele (a more powerful and influential goddess than the moo wahine) was said to be responsible for this to prevent the passage of pork over the Pali. It was said Pele, the volcano goddess, was responsible for preventing passage due to her contest with Kamapua'a

Kamapua'a

In Hawaiian mythology, Kamapuaa is a hog-man fertility demi-god associated with Lono, the god of agriculture. The son of Hina and Kahiki-ula, the chief of Kauai, Kamapua'a was particularly connected with the island of Maui....

, a half human, half hog god, and would not allow him (in the form of pork) to trespass

Trespass

Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels and trespass to land.Trespass to the person, historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, mayhem, and maiming...

 on her side of the island.

Stories of assaults by ghosts have also been told these were supposed be the work of hungry spirits that go into a violent frenzy and attack travelers for their food. Truckers are known to tie a fresh green ti or banana

Banana

Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....

 leaf or a strip of bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....

 to their containers of food products to deter angry spirits. This practice is called “Placing a Law upon the Food”.

Cultural references

'Pali Gap' is the title of a track from the posthumous 1971 album Rainbow Bridge

Rainbow Bridge (album)

-Non album tracks that appear in the film:*"Bleeding Heart" Released on War Heroes in 1972....

 by the guitarist Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

.

Places of interest

• Queen Emma's summer palace
  Hanaiakamalama
  Hānaiakamalama , or Queen Emma Summer Palace, served as a retreat for Queen Emma of Hawaii from 1857 to 1885, as well as for her husband King Kamehameha IV, and their son, Prince Albert Edward. It is a now a historic landmark, museum, and tourist site located at 2913 Pali Highway, less than a...
  
  
• The summer palace of Kamehameha III
  Kaniakapupu
  Kaniakapupu is the now dilapidated summer palace of king Kamehameha III and his queen Kalama on Oahu in Hawaii.- History :...
  
  
• Pali Highway
• Pali tunnels
  Nu‘uanu Pali Tunnels
  The Nuuanu Pali Tunnels are a set of four highway tunnels on the Pali Highway which pass through the Nuuanu Pali...