Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1885-09-19
The Crater Of Haieakafa.
(Conhnned.J J

nc BIcdt IOCk Cdiicu [UNUNHV-R0-
Aina is on the apex of one of the
many points that break the edge of the
crater wall on the northeast side. Its
surface, covering an area of perhaps
500 square feet, is curiously cracked
and scanned and these marking served,
in olden times, to indicate the starting
point of dividing lines between the
large lands of this part OF the island.
Some years ago. when the Surveyor
General was engaged in the prelimin-
airy typographical work on East Maui
he employed an old native to guide
him to this spot When near the peak
the old man requested the party to halt
while he made some simple offering to
the fire-goddess Pele, humbly begging
her to forgive his showing the white
man the P0haku o-ka-Aina. Having
thus propitiated the jealous Pele the
old man took the Surveyor-General to
the stone and pointed out to him the
cracks and lines and explained that
the whole mountain was divided into
several grand divisions whose boundary
lines commencing there ran to the sea-
shore in comparatively straight lines,
thus dividing the whole of East Maui
into few great tracts.
AS we stand on the fiat surface of
this ancient landmark we can look
along the crater wall to our right to
where it breaks down in a sharp ridge
not more than 100 or 500 feet high
and there commences the great Ki-ba-
huh valley, ten miles in length and
about two and half miles wide, its
side walls from 1900 to 1000 feet
high. It's floor is divided into two
great plateaus, one little lower than
the other, and on each side, close
under the walls, is deep gorge in
which run the streams that find their
way to the sea in two deep chasms
which bound the Kipahulu district on
the north and south. The vast valley
is dense mass of forest kept fertile and
green by the daily--almost perpetual
mists and rainfall. The exploration of
this valley has never yet been at
tempted save by few cattle-hunters,
and an account of the visit that two
members of our party made into it
would be foreign to the purpose OF this
article.
We can look along the line of the
north wall of this valley and see where
in its undulating outline breaks down
as does the crater wall at the head of
the valley, and over this sharp, knife
like ridge lies the Hama valley. This
last is teyya-iaeognitO and the resolve
is made to explore it at an early date.
Following down with the eye the line
of wooded hills which cut off our view
of but a small bit of Hama valley we
can make out the coast line at Hama
and thence around by the north to Ma
hiku, Keanae, the Koolau gap. the
deep Honomanu valley, Huelo, Ha-
makua-loa, Haiku, Maliko gulch, Ha-
makua-poko, Paia and the harbor of
Kahuliu The view embraces fully
one third of the circumference of the
island, and passes from the savage vii.
derness of the gloomy forest with an
iron-bound coast beyond, to the undu-
lating cane fields dotted with clusters of
dwellings and mill-buildngs and
finished with smooth sloping sand
beaches and group OF vessels in Ka-
hului. Then, by simply turning to
the right we can trace the coast line of
Kipahulu, and beyond the south wall
Of its valley and the lofty peaks of the
crater wall look down and out the east
gap to Kaupoo and Nuu to the ocean
whose surface is shaded by the fleecy
masses of the trade-wind clouds, above
which, at distance of eighty miles rise
the three great dome-like SUBMITS of
Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Hualaai
on the island of Hawaii
There those majestic masses lie,
their highest curves raised fourteen
thousand feet above the ocean, with
snow resting on the undulating peaks
of Mauna Kea, while Mauna Loa's
smoother sky line rises in a gentle
swell between Mauna Kea and Hua-
lalai.
From the mouth of East Gap the
fianking walls rise rapidly and on the
hither slider enclose the portion of the
crater we have traversed. Within the
crater itself we have view back to