Kepaniwai (damming of the waters) refers to the stream that was blocked with bodies after the forces of Kamehameha the Great defeated those of Kalanikupule, son of Maui’s King Kahekili, in a bloody battle in 1790.
Today, a highlight of the now peaceful and beautiful area is Kepaniwai Park, established in 1952 and restored in 1994.
Honoring Hawaii’s multi-ethnic population, its exhibits include authentic reproductions of a thatched Hawaiian hale (hut), a Filipino house, a New England saltbox, a Japanese teahouse, Chinese and Korean pavilions and a Portuguese forno (outdoor oven) surrounded by trees, flowers, waterfalls, arched bridges and koi-filled ponds.