These are sacred stones associated with protection and balance in the wetlands.

In Hawaiian, moʻo (with the ʻokina) primarily means a lizard, reptile, or dragon, often a fearsome water spirit or shapeshifter in mythology, guarding waters like streams, fishponds, and caves, but it also means succession, lineage, story (moʻolelo), or a narrow strip of land/ridge. These mythical moʻo are typically female shapeshifters, taking forms from beautiful women to giant reptiles, acting as protectors or tricksters, and symbolizing the vital connection between nature and people.

According to Hawaiian tradition, Kawainui was once home to a powerful moʻo named Hauwahine, whose name can be understood as “woman of authority” or “female ruler.” Her presence followed that of Haumea, the revered earth-mother deity associated with fertility and creation. Together, these traditions place Kawainui within a lineage of female guardianship and abundance.

Hauwahine was known as a protector of balance. Stories describe her ensuring that the abundance of the wetlands and fishponds was shared fairly among the people of the ahupuaʻa, while those who acted with greed faced consequences. In this way, Hauwahine embodied the values of reciprocity and restraint essential to sustaining life in the wetlands.

Oral histories identify the stones overlooking Kawainui from Puʻu o ʻEhu as sacred, believed to be associated with Hauwahine and a companion guardian. These traditions reflect an ancient understanding of the landscape as a connected system, both physically and spiritually.

This belief is further tied to the idea that a subterranean waterway beneath Puʻu o ʻEhu links Kawainui Marsh with Kaʻelepulu Pond, forming a complementary pair. In Hawaiian thought, Kawainui was regarded as masculine, while Kaʻelepulu was seen as feminine. Their union, said to occur at Kawailoa, symbolized the generative forces that sustained life throughout Kailua.

Chants (mele) and ceremonial poetry (oli) connected to Kailua often reference these two bodies of water, celebrating their plentiful fish, particularly ʻamaʻama (mullet) and awa (milkfish), as well as the extensive taro fields that once flourished nearby. Several well-known traditions, including those associated with Hiʻiaka, Kahinihiniʻula, Kaʻulu, and the legendary Mākālei Tree, are rooted in this landscape.

The Mākālei Tree, famed in Hawaiian lore for its ability to draw fish toward it, is said to have stood near the outlet where waters flow from Kawainui Marsh toward Hāmākua. Traditions tell of moʻo dwelling among the awa fish in this area, reinforcing the site’s importance as a place of convergence between land, water, and spirit.

It is Hawaiʻi’s largest remaining wetland, home to native birds and cultural practices tied to water stewardship.

Kawainui, known today as Kawainui Marsh, is a vast wetland landscape in Kailua, Hawaiʻi, and the remnant of what was once the largest freshwater fishpond in the Hawaiian Islands. It remains the state’s most extensive remaining wetland and is internationally recognized as a , acknowledging its ecological and cultural importance.

Geological evidence suggests that long before human settlement, Kawainui existed as a broad, shallow coastal bay. Core samples containing coral indicate that the area once opened directly to the ocean. Over time, a natural reef formation developed, gradually limiting the exchange of water between the bay and the Pacific.

By roughly 500 CE, shifting sea levels exposed much of this reef, reducing tidal flow and transforming the bay into a shallow, brackish lagoon. Natural channels linked Kawainui to nearby Kaʻelepulu, creating a connected water system that supported abundant marine and freshwater life.

Polynesian settlers arrived during this period and established communities along the lagoon’s edges, particularly near freshwater springs. Over several centuries, forested areas were cleared and reshaped into agricultural zones. Kawainui became one of the earliest and most significant settlement areas for the people who would become Native Hawaiians.

The arrival of Europeans in the late 18th century brought devastating epidemics to the Hawaiian population. Diseases such as smallpox, measles, and influenza drastically reduced the number of people able to maintain labor-intensive systems like fishponds and loʻi. As a result, Kawainui gradually fell out of use and became overgrown.

Land tenure changes introduced during the Great Māhele of 1848 further altered the area. Concepts of private land ownership were unfamiliar to many Hawaiians, leading to widespread loss of ancestral lands. Much of Kawainui came under the ownership of aliʻi and later foreign landholders. Despite these shifts, small-scale cultivation of traditional crops continued for a time.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kawainui was repurposed repeatedly. Portions of the former fishpond were converted into rice paddies worked by Chinese farmers, while water sources feeding Kawainui were diverted to support sugar plantations in nearby Waimānalo.

Later, much of the area was drained for ranching, introducing invasive plant species that further altered the wetland ecosystem. During World War II, the marsh was used as a military training ground. In subsequent decades, industrial activity, including rock crushing and refuse burning, caused additional damage.

Efforts to drain Kawainui for grazing continued into the mid-20th century, lowering the water table and accelerating ecological change. By the late 1900s, the area was officially recognized as a marsh, correcting earlier mischaracterizations and setting the stage for preservation.

In 2005, Kawainui received international recognition as a Ramsar Wetland, highlighting its global ecological significance. Thick layers of peat now cover much of the marsh, supporting vegetation that includes both native and invasive species.

Today, multiple community organizations and cultural practitioners are engaged in restoring portions of Kawainui using traditional methods, reconnecting the wetland to its ancestral role as a place of abundance and balance.

Kawainui Marsh provides critical habitat for native Hawaiian waterbirds, including the endangered aeʻo, ʻalae ʻula, ʻalae kea, and koloa. It also serves as an important resting and feeding area for migratory birds. Much of the marsh is protected as a state wildlife refuge, underscoring its importance for biodiversity.

Hawaiian oral traditions describe lepo-ʻai-ʻia, or “edible mud,” once found in Kawainui. Legends recount that this fertile earth was brought to the area by Kauluakalana and later sustained warriors during historic events.

Kawainui is also remembered as the dwelling place of Hauwahine, a powerful moʻo guardian. Stories tell that she ensured the fair distribution of food from the pond, withdrawing its abundance when balance was disrupted. Pollution and neglect were believed to offend her, reinforcing the responsibility of the people to care for the land and waters.