On the 13th of February, instead of fishing; WHS students walked up the Historical Waimea Valley to learn about the history of Waimea River. At one point, the river was more than 10 feet deep. People were able to jump from the road and the swinging bridge into the water without touching the bottom. Now if you were to jump into the water you would probably end up breaking your knees. The reason why the water level is low is because 110 million gallons of water is diverted to Mana/Kekaha's old irrigation ditches because of the plantation era.
According to my father, Kent Kinoshita, The Waimea Clubhouse, in the 50's though the 60's there were boat rides going up and down the river. The clubhouse was originally two stories high and was a club where gambling, parties and other events took place, the clubhouse was also a local hangout for the members of the club and the community. Sometimes, the club and their affiliate went on excursions to Kokee, even bringing equipment with them to play baseball. Today, You can't bring a canoe up the river past the clubhouse due to the silt piling to create islands in the river, which then lets grass and trees to grow on those islands, making them solid so the river can't drive the silt out through the river mouth.
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AuthorTrent Kinoshita Archives |