A WWII Corsair airplane ditched 100 feet off Niu Valley in 1946 after running out of fuel on a training mission. It now serves as a small artificial reef in an otherwise barren area. A mooring buoy marks the site.
At the recommendation of an advisory group made up of area residents, Kawaiku’i became the official name of the beach park in 1976, replacing the name ‘Âina Haina. It was named for a formerly well known spring on the shore at the east corner of the park. Once a small, deep pool, but now filled in, it still produces freshwater seeps that are visible at low tide. Lit., the united water (fresh and salt water unit at the spring).
From west to east, Niu Valley's surf sites are called Ledges, Secrets, Signs, Toes, Snipes, Blue Hole, Reverses, and Mispahs. To find out how they got their strange names, or if you have any information on anything mentioned in this article, please contact John R.K. Clark, author of Hawai‘i Place Names Shores Beaches & Surf Sites via the email link below.
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