Nestled between the Mauna Lani Beach Club and the Mauna Lani Terrace condos are some fishponds with a lot of Hawaiian history. Surrounding them you can find petroglyphs, lava tubes, and many other historical sites.
The Kalahuipua’a fishponds are some of the largest in the area spanning over four acres. They were once property of Kamehameha the Great given the amount of fish and quality of fish that were in the ponds. In the late 1800s Samuel Park of the Parker Ranch empire purchased it and later sold it to Francis Brown. A lot of the historical buildings there point back to the Brown family.
The first structure he built was for him and his lady friend and is located in the middle of the ponds and still remains there today. Another structure was built on the front side of the ponds and was a caretakers cottage. That is now knows as Eva Parker Woods cottage.
One of the coolest aspects of the Kalahuipua’a fishponds is the queens bath at the back of the property. There are many stories out there on how this bath came about, but it is a great spot to take a dip into the water. It is fed by springs so the water is very clean compared to other areas of the ponds. There are some small fish within the bath, but they are accustomed to visitors. If you choose to take a dip in the water please make sure you are not wearing any sunscreen in order to not mess up the water or ecosystem.
If you want to tour the ponds there is an easily walkable trail that goes around them. It is a relaxing walk amidst tons of palm trees and does not take long.
If you are staying at The Mauna Lani by Auberge or the Mauna Lani Terrace condos it is an easy walk to the ponds. J building at the Mauna Lani Terrace actually overlooks the ponds. If you are not staying at either of those places you can park at the public parking and it is less than a 5 minute walk in to the ponds.
