Heiau means temple. A place where they would come to pray, mediate and hold ceremonies to honor the Hawaiian Gods. There are a few Heiaus throughout the islands of Hawaii. This one, Kaneaki Heiau, is on the west coast of Oahu is thought to have been built in the 15th or 16th Century. It was dedicated to Lono, the God of harvest and fertility. Prayers and offerings to the harvest God would secure the crops for the area. In ancient times, only Chiefs and Priests were allowed into some of these Heiau.

It was a great honor that I was taken to this beautiful Hawaiian temple. It is actually on private property and although supposed to be open to the public, access seemed quite difficult. I am sure this is because it is very sacred to the indigenous people and they are careful to preserve the sites and honor the spirits there. I was blessed to be taken there by a local Hawaiian who follows the tradition and is a descendant of a Kahuna. I wasn’t allowed to film there, except a few phone pics and clips.

There were originally grass thatched huts used as place to pray and meditate. Obviously the original grass dwelling are no longer surviving. However ones in the same style and tradition have been placed there. This entire site has been completely restored to be historically correct.

Great respect must be taken and of course we did not climb on the walls, in fact I felt it not appropriate to walk within the area of the altar.

There is a very large stone that I was very much drawn to. It is probably 30 feet high and about 20 feet across. I hugged it for ages and got quite a buzz from its energy. How it got there is a mystery. There are no others like it in the area. This stone is called “Pohaku o Kane” or “Stone of Kane”. Kane is one of the main Gods and so this stone watches over the heiau sacred site.

Later in the early nineteenth century King Kamehameha I, rededicated this temple to “Ku” the God of war. For several decades, prayer and meditation would have been more directed to success in battle. Some say human sacrifices may have been done here. Perhaps this is why I did not feel comfortable entering the area in front of the offering altar.

Then after King Kamehameha the site returned to a focus on Lono and harvests for the area.

IN 1819 King Kamehameha II abolished the Heiau and the kapu system. He banned the practice of ceremony and the kahunas.

Kaneana Cave, Makua

Located near Mauka Beach, about one mile before the end of Farrington Highway. Kaneana cave is about 150,000 years old and was once underwater, carved by the sea. Currently it stands one hundred feet high and four hundred fifty feet deep right on Farrington Hwy. Legend has it that there was an ancient shark-man deity who made his home in this sea cave would disguise himself as a human and lure his victims into the cave, then turn into a shark and devour them.

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