Kalalea Heiau

Hawaiʻi the Big Island


Testament to the area's important fishing grounds, this ancient temple and shrine is where Hawaiians left offerings in return for a bountiful catch. Some still do today, although their angling methods have changed. Look for salt pans in the area: depressions carved in the rocks where fishermen would evaporate ocean water then use the remaining salt to cure their catch.

Enterprising early fishermen would tie their canoes to the nearby rocks pocked with mooring holes and slowly play out the rope so they could access the strong offshore currents that bring ʻahi (yellowfin tuna) and then pull themselves back home. Modern fishermen are more likely to stay on shore, their lines carried out to sea tied to plastic bags dancing in the fierce winds.


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