Menehune Fishpond

Menehune Fishpond
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	On the Hulēʻia River south of Lihue (viewable from lookout on south side of Puhi Road)
Nearest city	Lihue, Hawaii
Coordinates	21°57′09″N 159°22′31″W / 21.9525°N 159.375278°WCoordinates: 21°57′09″N 159°22′31″W / 21.9525°N 159.375278°W
Area	5 acres (2.0 ha)
Architectural style	Hawaiian fishpond
NRHP Reference #	73000677[1]
Added to NRHP	March 14, 1973

The Menehune Fishpond, near Lihue, Hawaii, on Kauai, is a historic Hawaiian fishpond. Also known as Alekoko Fishpond, it has been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Also called Alekoko or Niumalu Pond, it is bounded by a wall 900 yards long at a large bend in Hulēʻia River^[2] It has been deemed "the most significant fishpond on Kauai, both in Hawaiian legends and folklore and in the eyes [of] Kauai's people today. It is so old that its construction is attributed to the Menehunes, a mythical people inhabiting Hawaii before the Hawaiians arrived....Additionally, it is the best example of an inland fishpond in the entire state."^[3] It was listed on the U.S. National Register in 1973; the listing included one contributing site and one contributing structure.^[1]

References

1. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Kirch, Patrick Vinton (1996). "Menehune Fishpond". Legacy of the Landscape: An Illustrated Guide to Hawaiian Archaeological Sites. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-8248-1739-7.
3. B. Jean Martin (September 29, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Menehune Fishpond / Alekoko Fishpond" (PDF). National Park Service. and accompanying two photos from 1973