Downslope, this channel disappears into a grove of hau just above Kumakua Place in Parkway. Stream flow emerging from the hau is directed around the houses on Kumakua Place between two parallel hollow-tile walls. Here, the normally dry stream bed is overgrown with California grass. The margins of the ravine at the head end are quite high and steep. During rainfall amplified flow, water enters beside the concrete block wall at top center and exits through the ferns to the left.
Base flow arises from springs at the base of the cliff.
It is at this point that the central branch is joined by the upper west branch . Base flow in the upper west branch sometimes appears greater than that in the central branch . The upper west branch of Kawa Stream arises behind the crematorium at Hawaii Memorial Park. The head end of this swale is deep and very steep sided, probably reflecting the same resistant geological formation that forms the cataract on the central branch. Downstream, the swale margins are not so nearly vertical and are heavily forested in mango.