Menehune Fish Pond
Menehune Fish Pond
3.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
88 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
36
Average
36
Poor
4
Terrible
1
Culture16000915814
8 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
The island was absolutely beautiful. Now I know why they call it the garden island we took a bus tour up to Waimea Canyon, which was well worth it. That way my husband could enjoy the sites too. Printed our a map of all the beaches and took a couple of days to visit each one to see, which one was safe for us to swim in, since we are seniors, and just to look at the waves, whoever goes to this island you’re gonna be surprised how beautiful it is. Traffic isn’t bad at all. Have fun.
Written March 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pfefmeister
San Francisco, CA4,367 contributions
Jan 2022 • Couples
There is an overlook when you take the Puhi bypass towards Lihue, with interpretive signs explaining what the fishponds are and how they were constructed. There is also an inordinate amount of trash which detracted from the visit. Why do people have to throw their trash at these scenic locations? Just a quick stop, mildly interesting.
Written January 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JDSoui
Tampa, FL6,790 contributions
Dec 2022
The look out offers a great view of the pond, but also the surrounding area - especially at sunrise and sunset. This is a brief stop, but worthwhile if in the morning or afternoon.
Written December 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lanoneus
Honolulu, HI138 contributions
Jul 2019
This is listed as a World Heritage site, so if you're close and not in a hurry, you should definitely swing by to check it out. We got out, parked, hung out for 5 minutes and left. I was glad it was only a 10 minutes detour.
Written August 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alain B
New York City, NY158 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
Took a side trip here, a little off the beaten path but unless I missed something it is more about the legend of it's formation than the beauty of the actual site. If you a traveling past here worth a stop but not worth a detour
Written August 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Monica R
Whittier, CA33 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
This is our third summer in a row to Kauai, and we finally made this a priority. It was worth it just to say that we’ve seen it and know the cool history of it. I’ve seen negative reviews about it, which is strange to me because you are visiting an ancient fish pond, after all; it’s not as if there are any fireworks in the background or anything. It’s a pond. It looks like a pond, and that’s that. We are a family that likes to explore, so we like to see everything we can. A major positive was that it forced us to visit the southeast corner of the island, which we had not seen before; we found so many other cool restaurants, shops, and mini resorts while in the area, so that is also a huge perk. We also discovered Kalapaki Beach while in the area, which I just wrote a five-star review about.
Written July 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carlton7
Toronto431 contributions
Jul 2015 • Friends
The Menehune (aka Alekoko) Fishpond can be found along Hulemalu Road just outside of Lihu'e. There's a little parking area at the lookout. The best times to see and take pics would be around sunset.
It was built around 1,000yrs ago and was used to catch fish by the Menehune people. The Menehune people were believed to have originated from the Marquesas and were known to be master stone masons.
Hawaiian legend says that the Menehune was asked to build a fishpond by the Polynesian King. The agreement was that they would build it but only if they were left to do so unobserved. On a cloudy, full-moon night, the Menehune formed a human chain all the way from the hillside to the fishpond's location and began passing stones from one person to another, all throughout the night. They worked so hard that their hands began to blister and bleed, hence the name Alekoko Fishpond, translated to dripping blood (ale=drip and koko=blood).
Nearing completion, the clouds began to clear and the bright light from the full moon lit up the hillside and exposed the Polynesian King's son and daughter who were secretly observing the construction. The Menehune King was so furious that they were being spied on, he cast a spell on the two observers, turning them into stone. They stand as the two rock pinnacles that can be seen along the ridge.
The Menehune King ordered all work on the fishpond to cease, leaving the project unfinished and explains why a section of the pond wall is built with a different type of rock.
And that folks is the story behind the Menehune Fishpond.
It was built around 1,000yrs ago and was used to catch fish by the Menehune people. The Menehune people were believed to have originated from the Marquesas and were known to be master stone masons.
Hawaiian legend says that the Menehune was asked to build a fishpond by the Polynesian King. The agreement was that they would build it but only if they were left to do so unobserved. On a cloudy, full-moon night, the Menehune formed a human chain all the way from the hillside to the fishpond's location and began passing stones from one person to another, all throughout the night. They worked so hard that their hands began to blister and bleed, hence the name Alekoko Fishpond, translated to dripping blood (ale=drip and koko=blood).
Nearing completion, the clouds began to clear and the bright light from the full moon lit up the hillside and exposed the Polynesian King's son and daughter who were secretly observing the construction. The Menehune King was so furious that they were being spied on, he cast a spell on the two observers, turning them into stone. They stand as the two rock pinnacles that can be seen along the ridge.
The Menehune King ordered all work on the fishpond to cease, leaving the project unfinished and explains why a section of the pond wall is built with a different type of rock.
And that folks is the story behind the Menehune Fishpond.
Written August 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DPNA
Acapulco, Mexico344 contributions
Sep 2019
Legion says that it was built by "little people" in one day. It is surrounded by stones. Saw it on a tour. Wouldn't go out my way to see it.
Written June 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
196LindaC
Mukwonago, WI820 contributions
Apr 2017 • Family
This is an out of the way place to find but once there, the serenity and views are worth the trip. It's amazing that such an area exists such a short way from the city.
Written May 7, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
QuickWhitTravel
Washington DC, DC3,769 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
This was quite off the beaten path and not especially walkable, but the history was very interesting to me, and the view from the lookout is gorgeous!
Written May 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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