A friend from New York- who grew up on Oahu- had graciously offered us the use of her surfboard for the duration of our stay in Hawaii. Thrilled at the prospect of having our very own board in the house, we rented a car and drove over to pick it up early Sunday morning at her dad's house in Kaneohe.
Since we had the car for the day, and were in the neighborhood, I thought it would be fun to check out Ulupo Heiau (oo-LOO-poh hay-EE-ow), an ancient Hawaiian temple I had read about in my trusty Oahu guidebook.
So with the board in the back, we set out in search of the reknowned local site.
Though highlighted in the book, it was not so easy to find in real life. Hawaiians tend to be low-key and understated. And true to form, this ancient site was inconspicuously tucked away in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Kailua.
We finally found the heiau in a small park, behind the YMCA.
Ulupo Heiau is a platform of rocks about thirty feet high and 150 feet across. Legend has it that the Menehune, a small race of Leprechaun-like people, carried the stones along a bucket brigade several miles long, completing the temple in one night.
No one knows for sure why the heiau was built. Some scholars think it was used by ancient priests for human sacrifices; others believe it had a more mundane function, as a simple temple built for the commoners who farmed the region.
This is a sacred place for native Hawaiians, even today. It is peaceful and subdued, a good place to rest and contemplate. And if you look hard enough, you may even catch a glimpse of a Menehune, hard at work among the stones.
Check out Ray Riegert's terrific Hidden Oahu,
full of wonderful tips for exploring Oahu beyond the typical tourist traps.
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