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POLIHALE BEACH: A PLACE WITH ROOM TO ROAM |
Author: AFH
I stand on Polihale Beach, with miles of white sand beach stretching to my left, and more miles of pristine coastline to my right. Standing tiny and insignificant amidst the broad expanse of cliffs and beach, the sky melding into ocean at an invisible horizon, I'm clearly aware that this area’s spiritual essence is in tune with the physical landscape.
The combination of rough ocean conditions and a harsh, arid landscape left Polihale, located on Kaua‘i, sparsely populated in ancient times. Still, several Hawaiian habitation sites and cave shelters have been discovered in the brush-filled valleys near Polihale; small groupings of grass houses bordered the foothills in a few areas; and simple stone enclosures mark sites where fishing camps were set up in the dunes centuries ago.
The major archaeological feature at Polihale is a Hawaiian temple, or heiau, located near the northern end of the beach. William C. Bennet visited the heiau during his round-the-island survey in 1928, and described the temple as a four-terraced structure 25-30 yards wide, with walls eight feet thick.
In centuries past, the Mana plains between Polihale Beach and the nearby mountain cliffs featured a huge marsh covering as much as 2,000 acres. The wetland would expand with the winter rains, and shrink to a much smaller size during the summer droughts. Some of the marshlands were used for rice farming in the mid-1800s, and later drained for sugar cane. In recent years, canefields were converted to corn, sunflowers, cotton and other crops.
A 12-acre portion of the coastal plain at Mana is being mined for another valuable crop: sand. Local construction companies have been given permits to remove sand, resulting in the formation of natural ponds. The result is Kawaiele, a new State Waterbird Refuge for Hawai'i's four endangered waterbird species.
Local fishermen and surfers often drive their 4-WD vehicles down the beaches, checking the water conditions that vary greatly with the prevailing swells. Excellent surfing spots are found along the coastline, but currents and undertows make swimming here quite dangerous.
Polihale State Beach Park is found at the end of the road in West Kaua‘i, with access over several miles of potholed canefield roads. Limited picnic and camping facilities are available, although campers are required to get a permit from the State Building in Lihu'e. ©2003-2004 Media-HI, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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