PALI ROAD & THE LEGEND OF THE MENEHUNE - OAHU, HAWAII

 

THE PALI ROAD & THE LEGEND OF THE MENEHUNE OAHU, HAWAII

“Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a Story Teller”

Ibn Battuta

View from the Pali Overlook. According to legend, this is the cliff that Kamehameha and his army forced the Oahu warriors over during the battle of Nu'uanu - JDJ Photo

While in Hawaii I had the opportunity to travel Hawaii Route 61 which is better known as the PALI Highway and did so sort of by accident. I had a few hours to kill before my flight so I took a drive around the back side of the Island from Honolulu past Koko Head, admiring the rocky black coast with waves smashing into the lava shore and listening to 93.1 Da Paina which is a local Honolulu radio station that plays a blend of Hawaiian Reggae and traditional Reggae. I was running short on time so I looked at the map and decided to take a shortcut and follow Route 61 back over the impossible looking Koolau range to downtown Honolulu and then the airport. Clouds had shrouded the vertical peaks all day but the clouds were breaking up as the sun began to sink lower in sky. The mountains of Koolau range on Oahu are striking as they go straight up and straight down thereby creating an almost insurmountable obstacle for transportation. Back in the day, the Islanders created a foot path up the impossible looking cliffs and over the Pali divide down to Honolulu so they could transport their products over the mountain to the markets of that city. According to Kailua archaeologist Paul Brennan in his book KAILUA, the route was a scary series of “ropes and ladders where travelers had to climb straight up or down.

"The Pali" by Nicholas Chevalier - 1869

Still, they trekked the trail every day, taking poi, fruits, sweet potato, pigs, goats, and chickens to residents of the city.” Early visitors to the Island told of the harrowing nature of following this road over the pass. Here is a description of passing over this road given by Reverend Ruben Tinker in 1831: “The pass was almost too fearful to be enjoyed. I suffered from apprehension lest I should fall from the rocky steep. I took off my shoes and by setting my feet in the cervices of the rock, I worked myself along, assisted by a native who saw nothing to wonder at but my awkwardness and fear on passing this grand highway” This trail was incredibly steep and slippery. It is said that the Hawaiians traversed the path with ease but visitors struggled mightily up the trail in mortal fear all the way. In 1845 the road was widened to 6 feet and paved with stone making travel by horse and mule more feasible. In 1897 the road was blasted to 20 feet wide and consisted of all kinds of twists and switchbacks up the steep cliffs. The widening of the road allowed wagons to be pulled up and over the mountains. Travel along the road was always treacherous and you had to be on your guard as extremely strong trade winds would slam the traveler at every turn as they flowed up and over the cliffs and ridge tops. The old road had an average grade of 8% and was 8800 feet long. The website Hawaiilife.com claims that you can hike the old Pali Road and states that while it’s no longer a road you can drive on, you can most certainly walk it.  According to that source the overgrown abandoned road feels a bit post-apocalyptic and also like a journey back in time. To hike the road, they suggest you make your way to the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church in Kaneohe where you can park for a small fee or you can park on the street. From the church the hike up the old highway is 2.5 miles and, in that span, you will gain over 1,000 feet. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to do this but it is definitely on my bucket list should I ever return to Oahu. The modern road now bypasses most of the old twists and turns and glides through the Nu’uanu Pali Tunnels that were constructed in 1957. The Nu’uanu Pali Tunnels consist of four bores, two in each direction with the longest pair over 1,000 feet long. It is estimated that over 50,000 vehicles per day now climb up to Nu’uanu Pali and pass through the mountain transiting between Kailua and Honolulu on Hawaii State Highway 61. As I emerged through the tunnels on the Honolulu side I noticed a sign that said “PALI Lookout” so I decided I would check it out all the while thinking about the Jimi Hendrix song “Pali Gap” which is a mellow guitar rift journey.

Area map showing Hawaii Highway 61 - Pali Road

A quiet, nearly deserted road wound its way up through the forest to a parking lot and a short-paved trail that led to an observation point on the spine of the mountain which is the PALI Overlook. I parked my vehicle and walked up the trail to where I could look over the immense cliffs that dropped precipitously on the leeward side of the island from Honolulu. It was a gorgeous view in every direction as sun rays would burst out of the clouds on selected spots of land and sea as if they were search lights looking for something in particular. White smoke like tendril clouds curled about the sharp peak above the overlook. As I looked down the cliffs from the observation point the wind struck me mightily as it crashed into these cliffs after it’s long ocean journey and was forced up and over the mountain at this point. The wicked topography and high winds eliminated any hope of scaling one of those pinnacles for me that day. Reminded me of the Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler” and how you got to “Know when to hold em, and Know when to fold em”. The word “Pali” means “Cliff” or “Precipice” in Hawaiian and it is certainly a fitting name for this place. The cliffs here and the headwall of the Koolau Range are truly terrifying! While very picturesque, this spot had something of an eerie feeling to it. I learned from some interpretive signs that this overlook is the climactic location of the Battle of Nu'uanu, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of O'ahu. King

Ridiculous terrain above the Pali Overlook that convinced me a hike up the ridge would be un wise - JDJ Photo

Kamehameha had a goal to unify all of the Hawaiian Islands under his rule and in 1795 he landed his army of 10,000 warriors in the vicinity of modern-day Waikiki. Kamehameha’s forces drove the indigenous O’ahu army up the Nu’uanu valley eventually to the top of the Pali Gap and then in the heat of battle hundreds of O’ahu warriors either jumped or were forced over the precipice of the 1,000-foot cliffs to their deaths. In 1898, construction crews working on improving the Pali Road found 800 human skulls at the base of the cliffs which are believed to be the remains of the O’ahu army warriors. Not surprisingly, I later learned that there are many ghost stories associated with the old Pali Road. Now, when you stroll the beach at Waikiki under a full moon with Diamond Head, leaning palm trees and glittering seas in the background, you can imagine hundreds of large canoes discharging thousands of Hawaiian Warriors. Incredible to think about things that happened long ago that most people presently have no idea about. After leaving the observation point on my drive back to Honolulu, I stopped on the side of the road to admire some interesting stands of large trees and the unusual understory of the Hawaiian forest. This is where I thought of the stories of the Menehune or “Little People.” Apparently, there is a legend in Hawaii about the Menehune. These tiny people supposedly inhabit the forests of Hawaii and they only come out at night. It is said that they are master builders and can construct

Strange woods on Oahu where some believe the Menehune rule the darkness - JDJ Photo

complex structures overnight. Many Hawaiians are suspicious of and fear the Menehune so they avoid the forests. It is said that the Menehune were the original settlers of the Hawaiian Islands and that they are descendants from the Marquesas islands. When the Tahitians invaded Hawaii in roughly 1100 AD, according to legend, they forced the Menehune into the forests where they have been exiled ever since. As I walked through the woods, admiring immense trees of type and varieties that I had never before seen, I pondered the mystery of the Menehune and even though they were purportedly banished to the forests………I thought to myself that this lovely and mysterious place wouldn’t be such a bad place to be banished to. Who knows if the legend is true…..one thing is for certain though, Hawaii Route 61 is an interesting change from the palm beaches that people are so familiar with. The sweeping views from the Pali overlook are incredible. If you visit the backside of the island – say Hanauma Bay, Sandy Beach or any of a hundred other fascinating places, skip the H3 Freeway on the way back to Honolulu and try the Pali Highway instead. You will not be disappointed.