The ʻAlekoko Fishpond, known locally as the Menehune Fishpond,[2] near Līhuʻe, Hawaiʻi, on the island of Kauaʻi, is a historic Hawaiian fishpond. Also known as Alakoko Fishpond, it has been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places since 1973.
Menehune Fishpond | |
Alekoko Fishpond | |
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| Location | On the Hulēʻia River south of Līhuʻe (viewable from lookout on south side of Puhi Road) |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Līhuʻe, Hawaiʻi |
| Coordinates | 21°57′09″N 159°22′31″W / 21.9525°N 159.375278°W |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Architectural style | Hawaiian fishpond |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000677[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 14, 1973 |
The pond is bounded by a 900-foot-long wall (270 m) at a large bend in Hulēʻia River.[3][4] It has been deemed "the most significant fishpond on Kauaʻi, both in Hawaiian legends and folklore and in the eyes [of] Kauaʻi's people today".[5] As the largest fishpond on Kauaʻi, it is estimated to have been constructed in the 15th century, and may be the first brackish-water fishpond in the Hawaiian Islands. Its construction is traditionally attributed to the Menehune, a mythical people said to have inhabited Hawaiʻi before the arrival of the Hawaiians.[5]
It was first listed on the U.S. National Register in 1973; the listing included one contributing site and one contributing structure.[1] In 2021 it was purchased by The Trust for Public Land and conveyed to Mālama Hulēʻia, which has been restoring the land since 2018.[6] Restoration projects have included removing 26 acres (11 ha) of invasive mangrove and rebuilding a rock wall.[7]