Kunawai Park

This is my old stomping grounds from back in the day! Ever since 6^th grade I’ve cruised here even waded in the green brown water back then. I remember throwing a cat inside for kicks. Oops yeah I was a mean kid. My sis and a friend also had a paper route on this street we used to make $ 300 a month!
This tiny park has a mini waterfall if you can even call it that lol. The water has since been cleaned and purged I’m guessing since it’s much clearer. I’ve seen several families of ducks and ducklings, pigeons, doves, guppies, small koi. Only street parking I want to say about 8 stalls.
Months ago there was these 3 younger group of guys and one guy goes in the water to try catch the fish (not supposed to go in water) an older gentleman scolded him and almost turned into a fight! The older man said he’s been cleaning up the place and these punks are the ones ruining what’s left of nature. It was a sight to see. The young guy was hard head and didn’t listen kept walking around in the water contaminating it. Ugh come on people grow up!
Went back few more times and no punks, drunks, drugs, homeless.
Hope it stays that way!

Been going here ever since I could remember. Parents always took us here to try and catch fishes and now I’ve been coming back here with Max and letting him cool off in Hawaii’s heat.

Great little park. Found it when looking for something different for my kids. The playground has two slides and has the rubberized matting so injuries are unlikely. Plus it has a basketball court, a few park benches and picnic tables. Parking is limited to the street. No homeless, which is a nice change from many parks.

Its a nice and peaceful place. The local kids in the neighborhood hang out here. Families in the neighborhood bring there children to play and feed the ducks.
4 stars because the parking is limited, the park is small and there are no bathrooms here. Which also means, it won’t be crowded here. Lol
I will come back again. A local lady from this area watch’s over the ducks and came over to talk with us. She said some of the kids throw rocks at the ducks and she needs more eyes out here to help watch for that behavior.
Now I’m a local babysitter when I come here.

Thanks to Unilocalers this is our new favorite area on the island! After reading the current reviews I thought that it would be worth it to locate… I was actually thinking that the reviews were too good to be true, but with bread for the ducks in hand, this afternoon we began our adventure to find this place. Inside I was hoping I wasn’t setting my daughter up for a major disappointment.
But no, this park is everything everyone promised! The playground is in great condition and the pond + ducks is amazing! Yes, the kids at the play structure side were a little crass with their language, but just seemed like kids being kids and didn’t cause us any problems. You need to remember that you are in the heart of Kalihi not Hawaii Kai or Kailua…
The only cons were the ones that were already mentioned, no bathrooms and tricky parking. These two things will usually mean a total no go for me, but in this case I had no difficulty making an exception :)

My husband shared with me his experience of this hidden gem today. His father grew up in the area and eventually shared his childhood memories with my husband.
This park is very peaceful. It holds a large cemented pool of the fresh water spring. In this pool the ducks come to play. In the trees you’ll see the beautiful parrots flying around.
There are multiple benches for you to sit and enjoy the scenery.
Across the street there is a child’s playground and basketball court.
There are no restrooms.
Parking is very limited as you park along the street.
This park is perfect for the children to run around and play. It’s a great learning experience as well in regards to the history of the island.
I highly recommend people to experience this park and enjoy Oahu’s nature.

Great little park to visit. The playground area is a little rundown and beat up, but I come here for the pond thingy and the ducks. It’s very relaxing to just sit here and eat lunch.

This park brings back fond childhood memories of growing up in Liliha. My family and I would spend countless hours here. It offers a fun and relaxing atmosphere for the entire family.
The fact that this park is unknown to most who live outside the area is a plus. It’s not as crowded as other parks.

A true hidden Gem! Living «in town» has its downsides. One of them being a lack of greenery and lush little hide aways.
This spot is easy to miss if you don’t know what your looking for. Even still you might loose it in the row of houses.
Parking: street parking
Location: perfect for those of us that want to keep this place to ourselves
Worth it: heck yes. The sacred pool can be overgrown and appear untended at times, but that all part of its beauty. Ducks swim here and there is a wonderful little walk way around the pool. Plenty of seating and shady spots. No Mosquitos like Queen Liliuokalani’s garden! The «grass» is not much, but it’s still a gem and my new favorite spot.

Kunawai is a beautiful park. I’ve been coming here since childhood days. It’s a park you can take your keikis to and let them run wild on the field, basketball courts and playground. After a day of running around, proceed to the pond area for a relaxing picnic and enjoy the scenery

Kunawai Park is a slice of paradise outside the hussle and bussle of urban Honolulu life. This city and county of Honolulu park is another place to go when you just want a spot to chill and relax, while enjoying nature’s splendors. Without having to go shopping, eating, or clubbing, Kunawai Park and its plethora of open spaces in and around urban Honolulu is your best bet to having a great time and staying active too. I was here during lunch time and just walked around in my work clothes before going to lunch on a nice crisp Friday. Life at work seemed too hellish, so it was good to find a new spot to release my frustrations into the wind and not have to be burdened with anything else.
Kunawai Park is located off of Liliha Street on Kunawai Lane in Kalihi, this municipal park is easy to get to. There’s places to park and if you are like me, TheBus route #13 will take you there almost. Or route #2 and #1L, but you just need to get off at the corner of Liliha Street and North School Street and walk a few blocks. Plenty of nature here amidst the craziness that is the urban life, but I don’t mind. It’s scenic and time just floats there while you are here. Gather your thoughts and breathe a bit and you know why it’s pretty cool here.
There are also ducks that make their home here. There is a pond, where I could see plenty of people just cast away their fears and inhabitions and float away. Like a childhood being remembered again and just doing whatever you like and enjoying life. I guess that’s what parks do to people, like me. Makes you feel alive. On the plus side, many, if not all, municipal parks are FREE. Nothing but nature at your finger tips. There’s a spring well here that used to be a healing resevior for the entire island, but now, it’s just a bastion for those who seek it’s beauty. I enjoyed my time here and I hope to return again soon. Very few people know this place exists, because when I was here, nobody was here. Probably it was lunch time, but I don’t know. There is a playground attached to Kunawai Park, so that was cool. Just a few kids playing on it and that reminds me of the simpler times in my life.
All is good here. And I am glad that they’re here.
Support nature!
A+