Thursday, September 29, 2016

PUʻU ʻUALAKAʻA STATE WAYSIDE PARK

Entrance to the park from round-top drive 

 

This scenic, lush green state park is a forested area which sits on a cinder cone close to downtown Honolulu. 

The entrance to the park 


Lush green way to the park 

The elevation of 1,048 feet provides panoramic view from Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor, including Honolulu and Manoa Valley and southern base of the Waianane Mountain Range.


panoramic view of Honolulu as seen from the  park


sunrise at the park 
 The park has a picnic area and a viewpoint.

Add caption

sunrise at the park 

the picnic area 

the restroom  at the picnic area

Honolulu city and diamond head as seen from the top


 
view from the top 

view from the top 

View from the top 

View from the top 

Add captionView from the top 

View from the top 

View from the top 

View from the top 



It is located along the scenic Tantalus-Round Top Drive. It is an 8-mile, two-lane paved Oahu’s Only State and National Historic Road. It offers amenities like picnic area, restrooms and free admission and parking.  

There is a small trail near the park named Ualaka‘a Trail.  This loop trail is a part of Makiki Valley Trail. So actually it's Ualaka‘a Trail to Makiki Valley Trail to Round Top Drive to Ualaka‘a Trail.


Ualaka‘a Trail  

The road to the top 


The name PUʻU ʻUALAKAʻA  transfer to  "rolling sweet potato hill" in Hawaiian language referring to the old days when planters had to rely on gravity to bring in the harvest allowing the tubers that were dug up to then roll down the steep slopes.

History of Pu’u’Ualaka’a State Park


The Pu’u’Ualaka’a cinder  of this volcanic cone eruption provided a very rich soil for growing sweet potatoes or ‘uala  and in 1790s  king Kamehameha -I  established an ‘uala plantation on the slopes of the cone which is named because of the sweet potato plantation.

Later the forests were denuded to plant commercial sandalwood trees from China between 1815-1826.

But in later years beginning in 1910-the area was reforested by eucalyptus trees. Ernest Shelton Van Tassel started macadamia nuts plantation.

Nutridge is the name given to farm/estate built by Ernest Shelton Van Tassel, who established a farm on the property to introduce macadamia nuts as a commercial industry to the world.

Ernest Shelton Van Tassel home than 

Ernest Shelton Van Tassel home now


Van Tassel brought the nuts from Australia and asked the government to give him land between Puu Ualakaa and Puu Kakea for an orchard. The nuts were than processed at the warehouse in Kakaako  and sold as Van’s Macadamia Nuts.  In 1922 he formed the Hawaii Macadamia Nut Company. But due to shade, wind and rain typical for the leeward side of Tantalus, the sun loving trees did not yield much fruits. Eventually Van Tassel would decommission the farm at Round Top.

His residence is still maintained at 3280 Round Top Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822

The road to the top of ‘Ualaka’a was put in in the late 1940s in order to create a park and look-out.

Today Pu’u’Ualaka’a State Park provides a scenic retreat from hustle and bustle of Honolulu city life.

Sunrise as seen from the way to the park 

Sunrise as seen from the way to the park 


Sunrise as seen from the way to the park 


Sunrise as seen from the way to the park 


Sunrise as seen from the way to the park 


Round top drive

The forest reserve that serve as catchment area for drinking water for city of Honolulu 

The park is open from 7am until 7:45pm (April – Labor Day) or 6:45pm (Labor Day through March).




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