Kāneiʻolouma Heiau — Attraction in Kauai

What a great restoration project to reveal a hidden gem of Kauai!!! This temple complex used to be covered by haolekoa and I never imagined three was such an important cultural heritage site here. I also had wondered what was the meaning of the sign “Manokalanipo” by the entrance of Poipu Beach Park for such a long time!!! After reading panels of explanations, I finally got it!! Manokalanipo was a name of the great king(ali’i ‘aimoku) of Kauai in the 15th century who organized excellent land management and politics system. He and together with his father, Kukonoa also won the battle and saved Kauai from invasions by the combined armies of Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu in the early 15th century. “Manokalanipo” has been praised through many chants, poems, and songs.

One of features of this complex is an open stadium called Kahua. It is the only known surviving example of the Hawaiian stadium where various sports and events were held to honor gods and glorify the king. I highly recommend to visit here before or after visiting beautiful Poipu...

This is a very interesting historical site on Kauai, preserving a restoration of a Hawaiian village site. There are informational plaques on the corner of Poipu Rd and Hoowili detailing the restoration efforts and the significance of the areas of the site.

There is no parking right by the plaques, so I would recommend parking by the beach and taking the 5...

This is worth seeing if you're at Poipu beach, but it seems like the state of Hawaii, county, and trust which runs it could do a lot more to make it accessible and interesting. There is not even any place to park near the informational signs, and it seems little work has been done...