Kapolei and Ewa Beach have experienced incredible transformation over the last decade. Located on Oahu’s leeward side, Kapolei and Ewa Beach were once home to Native Hawaiian fishponds and later sugarcane and pineapple fields.
Now, Kapolei and Ewa Beach are bustling communities – with new residential developments, a state-of-the-art hospital, numerous golf courses, eating options, splendid shopping, and wide roadways. Homes are newer and larger and surrounded by sidewalks and parks – and the neighborhoods are family-friendly with lots of activities for all ages.
What Is The History Of West Oahu’s Kapolei And Ewa Beach?
Before you embark on a Kapolei adventure, share with your kids (in an age-appropriate manner) a little about the history of the area.
Here are some fun facts to include in your conversations:
- Hawaiian settlements in the region date back to the 12th century A.D., as confirmed by remains from Hawaiian’s ingenious fishponds.
- Kapolei is named after a volcanic hill, Pu‘u O Kapolei, which is found today in Kapolei Regional Park. According to Hawaiian legends, Kapo was the goddess of fertility and the sister to Pele, the goddess of fire. The word “lei” in Kapolei refers to the ring or “lei” of light that is seen around the hill during the winter solstice.
- There are two names for Ewa, either ‘Ewa with the ‘okina or Ewa without the ‘okina. ‘Ewa with the ‘okina means crooked or unequal in Hawaiian. Ewa without the ‘okina means strayed or wandering. The Hawaiian legend of the land starts with two ancient Hawaiian gods, Kāne and Kanaloa. When they discovered the Ewa plains, they liked the large flat area, so they threw a stone to mark a boundary. When they went searching for the stone, they could not find it. So, the land became known as Ewa, or the stone that strayed. In other versions, the area was named ʻEwa because the stone was thrown crookedly.
- In 1877, Irish businessman James Campbell bought 40,000 acres of land in the Ewa plains, which included Kapolei. The sugar and pineapple plantations boomed. Thirty miles of train track were soon laid, connecting Ewa to the Oahu Railway, which would transport sugar, molasses, livestock, people, and about anything else to the region. People from Japan, the Philippines, and Korea soon joined the Hawaiians to farm the fields, moving into newly built plantation villages.
- By the 1980s, the booming sugar industry started to bust. Now, with the planned construction of thousands of residential units over the next couple of decades, Ewa Beach and Kapolei are beginning to bustle again.
