Paepae o He’eia

I was sad to have missed going to the He’eia Fishpond during Unilocal Helps and was super excited to find myself headed there for a service project.
Emi H. Is spot on about how there is something just magical about this place! As you go down the driveway-​the view is breathtaking. When I thought about how ingeniousness the Ancient Hawaiians were to build and maintain the fishpond (
)…it hit me how the concept of sustainability wasn’t just a chic thing to do but rather the way people survived back in the days. How did we stray so far from the basics?!?
Since our group was fairly large, we were split into four smaller groups with the objective of moving the coral from the dry land to the far edge of the fishpond. It was hard work, but a great team building experience. Along with the manual labor, I was able to soak in the beautiful scenery and surprised to learn that Gillian’s Island was filmed on the nearby island (Coconut Island). The mountains in the backdrop were absolutely gorgeous. We could see the peak of Stairway to Heaven and I realized why people risk their lives to complete that hike.
The He’eia fishpond is over 600 years old and it is the second largest fishpond on Oahu, but sadly-​it is not functional today. I hope that one day they’ll be able to get the proper permits to fix the broken wall (damaged by a flood 60+ years ago) and restore the pond to its original glory.
is the site you should visit to find out more about volunteering opportunities. If you’re new to Oahu, come here to get a genuine experience of Hawaiian culture. If you’re a local, come here to remind yourself what a blessing it is to call Oahu home :)
When you come, your task will vary, according to the size of your group. It is best to keep a change of clothes in your car. Water shoes are probably your best bet. Some of my team members wore sneakers and they were extremely uncomfortable when we had to make the trek out to the edge of the fishpond (their shoes were soaked, but you can’t really go barefoot because of all the coral). Also, remember to bring sunblock. We lucked out with good weather (slight overcast with a breeze) but I still felt a little burnt at the end of our day.

Words really can’t express how special this place is and in order to understand you’ll just have to go there yourself. If you want to really experience a piece of ancient Hawaiian culture then please schedule a time to volunteer and help rebuild the fish pond. During our time at Paepae o He’eia we learned about how it was built, utilized to feed an entire community of people and then partially destroyed by a flood. I’ve lived in Hawaii all my life and was completely blown away by the learning experience.
Please be warned that if you’re not a «hands on» type of volunteer then this is probably not the right opportunity for you. But if you would enjoy getting your hands and feet, well your entire body DIRTY, then this is perfect for you! I am not a DIRTY JOBS kind of girl but I still appreciated the overall experience. Be sure to bring shoes which can get wet and dirty. My tennis shoes had to be thrown away after a day of treading through the mud.
The folks who work here full-​time are amazing and we were really blessed to have them as our teachers for the day. Great way to reconnect with the land and remember how lucky you are to live Hawaii!

The work that Paepae o He’eia is doing out there at the 88 acre fish pond is definitely a worthwhile cause. They have spent the last several years slowly working on restoring the He’eia fish pond after it was damaged by flood in the 1960’s, and eventually it was taken over by invasive mangrove for decades after than.
I first found out about Paepae o He’eia through Unilocal Helps. We had gone down to He’eia Fish Pond one morning to help out with their restoration work. This was such an enjoyable project that I just had to go back and help out again.
Recently a couple of friends and I had gone down to participate in one of their community work days which are held twice a month on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. On this trip we had helped to haul coral to the segment of the fish pond wall that they were currently working on restoring. After a good session of working with fellow community members we were treated to a home cooked lunch with the rest of the folks who came out to help. This is a great organization to hook up with to help a worthwhile cause, and to meet new friends while doing it.
Paepae o He’eia also has educational programs and tours, so if you’re interested in learning more about the fish pond, or if you’re a teacher looking for a great field trip for your class you’ll definitely want to get in touch with them.
If you think you’d be interested in helping out at one of their community work days let me know! I’m looking forward to going down there again!
***31 Unilocal: 26/​31***

POH is a beautifully located in Kaneohe not to far from Windward mall. I came down here a couple times to do service learning projects during my time in college. I recently came down here with the Unilocal community to do some restoration work for the fishpond. For those who want to learn much more about ancient Hawaii and what to do some authentic work within the community you should definitely come here and participate in work day here. They usually do work days till 12pm two times a month on Saturdays. The caretakers are a non profit organization and the staff are immensely knowledgeable about the fishpond and lifestyle. The fishpond is definitely unique with how it is built and how it was taken care of from ancient to modern times from different families and communities who owned the property. Today it is owned by Kamehameha Schools. A few years ago when I came here during college, the work and project that we did was removing mangrove from the fishpond wall. This time around we were moving rocks with barges from one side of the wall to the other. The volunteer work maybe physical sort of like general labor kind but the benefits and result is ever so rewarding. Before the work, the staff and caretakers of the fishpond give a very informative and heartfelt briefing and tour around the fishpond. Afterwards it is straight to work. Greenery and vegetation around the restored areas growing around the pond are already good signs that all the work that is being contributed to the fishpond is very much appreciated and needed. If you are unfamiliar with the area, if you were passing by Kaneohe on Kamehameha Highway, you wouldn’t even know that the fishpond was there. It’s pretty much attached to a residential area on ‘Ipuka St. and they have very limited parking so usually you can park on the residential street area, The entrance is on a steep hill and it’s a beautiful sigh to see the fishpond early in the morning once you get there.

He’eia fishpond is one of those rare treasures everyone should experience to appreciate the traditions and culture of ancient Hawaii. If you go, you can be a part of preserving this beautiful place whether you donate money or a little elbow grease, which our group happily provided both!
Upon driving down the narrow residential lane that takes you to the fishpond, the view is simply breathtaking. By morning light, the water glistens as the sunlight catches the ebb and flow. The perimeter rock wall, or kuapa, stretches 1.3 miles around the 88-​acre fishpond. Looking from afar, one person out on the wall is a mere dot on the horizon.
Our group trekked along the path, stopping briefly at a tiny shack, or hale, built from mangrove pulled from the fishpond. Nothing goes to waste here! Looking down we could see small silver-​gray fish flitting around the shallows and darting off when our shadows fell on them.
Now our group was there to help carry rocks out to the farthest reaches of the pond to repair a section that had fallen into disrepair. As the guide pointed out, over time natural conditions erode the rock wall, so the coral must be replaced using a method called dry stacking. Because our group was so huge, the task was completed in a little over two hours. However, volunteers are needed throughout the year to maintain the kuapa as well as help remove mangrove and invasive limu.
If you volunteer, remember to bring a hat, tabis (or marsh boots), sunglasses, sunscreen, and stay hydrated. Check the Paepae o He’eia website for volunteer dates and get directions as they are located in a residential neighbor just past King Elementary in Kaneohe. You’ll be doing something great for the community and preserving a piece of history in a stunning setting … a reminder, too, of how lucky we are to live in Hawaii!

Beautiful place to donate some time to do community service! The people are nice!
The construction of the fishpond is truly the knowledge dating back from the kahuna’s. They were very smart.
I support sustainable living!

I had the wonderful opportunity to go on huaka’i (field trip) to the He’eia Fishpond last year while attending Ka ‘Aha Hula ‘O Halauaola. There, my sister and I met the staff and caretakers of Paepae o He’eia. They spoke about the Fishpond, its origin/​history, and their mission to malama (care for/​preserve) it. We were invited to walk out along the kua’pa (fishpond wall) and experience the Fishpond up-​close by removing overgrown mangrove roots from the wall itself and harvesting invasive limu (seaweed) from the water.
The kua’pa was built over 600 years ago, by the hands of the people of He’eia ahupua’a. It was amazing and humbling to know that we were working with natural materials that may not have been touched for hundreds of years (perhaps not since the original He’eia resident had placed them there).
Not only were the staff/​caretakers extremely knowledgeable about the Fishpond and its history, it was clear that they truly feel a connection to the land/​water/​life and its preservation. This is a great place to visit for an immersion into a historic place, culture, and tradition. I highly suggest volunteering or donating to their non-​profit mission.
TIP: If you plan a huaka’i or are going to volunteer, make sure you have your water shoes, a hat/​visor, **sunscreen**, clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty/​wet and wear your bathing suit underneath! The trek out on the ahupua’a is slippery and some people decided to wade back in the water.