Helumoa, in Waikīkī, became a favorite retreat and home for Ali‘i throughout the ages.
Mā‘ilikūkahi, an O‘ahu Ali‘i who moved the center of government from
the Ewa plains on O‘ahu to Waikīkī in the 1400s, is said to have been one of
the first to reside there.
Ali‘i nui Kalamakuaakaipuholua, who ruled in the early 1500s, is
credited for his major work in establishing lo‘i kalo (wetland taro ponds) in
the area, as well as for encouraging cultivation throughout the land.
One story of how Helumoa got its name involves Kākuhihewa,
Mā‘ililkūkahi's descendent six generations later, ruling chief of O‘ahu from
1640 to 1660.
It is said that the supernatural chicken, Ka‘auhelemoa, one day flew
down from his home in Ka‘au Crater, in Pālolo, and landed at Helumoa.
Furiously scratching into the earth, the impressive rooster then
vanished. Kākuhihewa took this as an
omen and planted niu (coconuts) at that very spot.
Helumoa (meaning “chicken scratch”) was the name he bestowed on that
niu planting that would multiply into a grove of reportedly 10,000 coconut
trees.
This is the same coconut grove that would later be called the King’s
Grove, or the Royal Grove, and would be cited in numerous historical accounts
for its pleasantness and lush surroundings.
Kamehameha the Great and his warriors camped near here, when they began
their conquest of O‘ahu in 1795.
Later, he would return and build a Western style stone house for
himself, as well as residences for his wives and retainers in an area known as
Pua‘ali‘ili‘i.
Kamehameha I resided at Helumoa periodically from 1795 to 1809. He ended Waikīkī’s nearly 400-year reign as
O‘ahu's capital when he moved the royal headquarters to Honolulu (known then as
Kou) in 1808 (to Pākākā.)
King Kamehameha III, son of King Kamehameha I lived at Helumoa during
the 1830s. King Kamehameha V, grandson
of King Kamehameha I, also lived at Helumoa in a summer residence, in which he
periodically lived.
In the 1880s, Helumoa was inherited by Kamehameha I’s
great-granddaughter, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop.
Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, in 1884, wrote the final codicils
(amendments) of her will at Helumoa, in which she bequeathed her land to the
Bishop Estate for the establishment of the Kamehameha Schools.
In the last days of her battle with breast cancer, Pauahi returned to
Helumoa. Although the Princess could
have gone anywhere to recuperate, she chose Helumoa, for the fond memories it
recalled and the tranquility it provided.
The tallest coconut palms in this area, today, date back to the 1930s.
Sheraton Waikīkī, Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Royal Hawaiian Shopping
Center now stand on the land known as Helumoa.
Kamehameha Schools owns the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. In the center of it is ‘The Royal Grove,’ a
30,000-square-foot landscaped garden inspired by Waikīkī's Helumoa coconut
grove.
As one of the largest green spaces in Waikīkī, The Royal Grove is a
centerpiece for entertainment and cultural gatherings with local hula halau and
other performances.
The image shows the Coconut Grove and Residence of King Kamehameha V at
Helumoa, Waikīkī (the image is before 1875.)
In addition, I have included a couple other images and maps of this
region in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.
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