| Hokukano - Ualapue Complex | |
| Nrhp Type: | nhld |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Location: | Hawaii Route 450, Ualapue, Molokaʻi, Hawaii |
| Coordinates: | 21.0625°N -156.83°W |
| Area: | 146.5acres |
| Designated Nrhp Type: | December 29, 1962[1] |
| Added: | October 15, 1966 |
| Refnum: | 66000304 |
| Designated Other1: | Hawaiʻi Register of Historic Places |
| Designated Other1 Abbr: | HRHP |
| Designated Other1 Date: | October 15, 1996[2] |
| Designated Other1 Num Position: | bottom |
The Hokukano-Ualapue Complex is a National Historic Landmarked pre-contact archaeological site on several properties adjacent to Hawaii Route 450 in Ualapue, on Molokaʻi island. The complex includes six heiaus and two fishponds. The complex is one of the most important collections of native Hawaiian sites in Hawaiʻi.[3] [4] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
The largest and most impressive of the six heiau in the complex is 'Ili'ili'ōpae, the largest heiau on Molokai and the second largest in all Hawaii. It consists of four tiers, rising to a stone platform measuring 287 feet by 87 feet. It is located half a mile north of Highway 450, and can be reached by a track up the Mahulepu valley from the highway near milepost 15.
According to legend 'Ili'ili'ōpae Heiau was constructed in a single night with boulders passed from hand to hand along a chain of menehune from the Wailau valley on the north shore. A hiking trail from the temple to Wailau has now fallen into disuse and is overgrown.[5]
The two ponds considered part of this complex are Keawanui Pond and Ualapue Pond. Keawanui Pond is located on the south coast of Molokai, about 1.5miles west of Ualapue. It is a loko kuapā, or walled pond, which distinctively uses a curved portion of the natural coastline and a small island as part of its isolating barrier. The barrier wall is pierced in several places by sluice gates. The second pond, Ualapue Pond, is located on the shore at the eponymous village, and is also a loko kuapa, the seawall built out of coral and basalt. The wall is 1575feet long, 4feet high, and varies in width from 8feetto19feetft (toft). There are two sluice gates in the wall.[3]