Hawaii Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites

John R. K. Clark

May 2003 · University of Hawaii Press

About this ebook

In his latest book, John Clark, author of the highly regarded "Beaches of Hawaii" series, gives us the many captivating stories behind the hundreds of Hawaii place names associated with the ocean--the names of shores, beaches, and other sites where people fish, swim, dive, surf, and paddle. Significant features and landmarks on or near shores, such as fishponds, monuments, shrines, reefs, and small islands, are also included. The names of surfing sites are the most numerous and among the most colorful: from the purely descriptive (Black Rock, Blue Hole) to the humorous (No Can Tell, Pray for Sex).

Clark began gathering information for the "Beaches" series in 1972, and during the years that followed interviewed hundreds of informants, many of them native Hawaiians, and consulted dozens of Hawaiian reference books, newspapers, and maps. A significant amount of the oral history he collected was unrecorded and remained only in his notebooks and memory. Hawaii Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites is the final result of those years of research, and like its popular predecessors, it benefits substantially from Clark's having spent a lifetime surfing and swimming Hawaii's beaches.

Presented in the same convenient format as Pukui, Elbert, and Mookini's Place Names of Hawaii (UH Press, 1974) this rich compendium of information on Hawaii's surf, shore, and beach sites will satisfy visitors and residents alike.

Ratings and reviews

First, I must say how pleasantly surprised I am. What a jewel you have created. I haven't finished it and I probably never will. It's not that kind of a book. I'm buying one so I can enjoy it, reading at a pace that is required so I can absorb and savor the pictures you have painted. Mr Clark, I was looking for a very small and insignifigant piece of Kauai history. My friend and I are old hawaii surfers. He moved to Kauai after he graduated from Radford High School in 1970 and worked at Barking Sands.I moved to Kauai in 1967 and while going to K.C.C bought a restaurant in Hanalei 68. What led me to you is you are the only one who has the "Right" answer to this question. Jim sends to me, " Question for the day, Robbie is.....Who gets credit for naming Acid Drop"? Since you knew Dr. Brenekee of Poipu, Kauai, I'll bet you met Dr. Boido also. His son is a friend of mine that for years has let it be known that he renamed the wave. I new he didn't because I was there with him. It took me five hours to locate the needle in the haystack. I knew it wasn't Abrum but he was there. There were six people hanging out at KiKi's house which is directly facing Acid Drop. KiKI's best friend was Steve Bethel. When I found your book and read Steve's name, memories washed over me in waves, confirming what I knew but until then was an itch I couldn't scratch! Thank you. Mr.Clark, I thought I was going to find a glorifyed dictionary with some commentary. What I found was an open window, smelled plumaria and the sea! !t was my window at my house in Hawaii I was looking through! Your words brought me home, Honesty and truth you prefaced. While I was reading, there was a sense of rightness, wellness, a wholeness and sharing. I like the many little stories by the people you interviewed and then wove them into a fine carpet. What eminates from your writing is how much you love it. It's tangible and has substance. Mahalo Pumehana, Robbie Bryson

About the author

John R. K. Clark is a former lifeguard and a retired deputy fire chief of the Honolulu Fire Department. He is the author of eleven books about Hawai‘i’s beaches, surf breaks, and place names, including Hawaiian Surfing: Traditions from the Past, North Shore Place Names: Kahuku to Ka‘ena, and Kalaupapa Place Names: Waikolu to Nihoa.