Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. It is a residential neighborhood of

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from Ala Moana and Waikiki.

Neighborhood

Similar to many Honolulu neighborhoods, Mānoa consists of an entire valley, running from Manoa Falls at the mauka (inland-most) end to King Street. The valley receives almost daily rain, even during the dry season, and is thus richly vegetated – though the valley walls are often dry. Seeing rainbows in the valley is a common occurrence, and is the source of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa sports team names, the Rainbow Warriors (for men's teams) and Rainbow Wahine (for the women, with the beach volleyball team more often using BeachBows). The neighborhood is composed of private houses built before the 1960s and low-rise condominiums. Mānoa is home to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi System. The university has several faculty and student residence areas in Mānoa. Other educational institutions located in Mānoa include Manoa Elementary School, Noelani Elementary School, Punahou School, the Mid-Pacific Institute, Saint Francis School, and a handful of small, private preschools. The central shopping area of Mānoa is the Mānoa Marketplace which features a farmer's market several days of the week. More recent development has seen housing on steeper parts of the Diamond Head side valley wall.

Geography

''Mānoa'' means ''thick'', ''solid'', ''vast'', ''depth,'' or ''thickness'' in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...

. There is another valley named Mānoa on the north shore of Kauaʻi. Mānoa Stream begins at the base of Mānoa Falls and runs through the valley before joining the Palolo Stream to form the Mānoa-Palolo drainage canal, which flows into the Ala Wai Canal. Floods caused by high rainfall have plagued the residents living along Mānoa Stream. Most recent was on October 30, 2004, when Mānoa Stream overflowed causing millions of dollars in damages to residential homes and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa buildings.

Climate

History

Mānoa was the site of the first

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

and

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

plantations in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

. Hawaiian coffee was first introduced along Mānoa Valley in 1813 by Don Francisco de Paula y Marytin as an ornamental plant. In 1825 Chief Boki, the Royal Governor of Oahu, followed up and brought coffee trees back from Brazil on the ship . Chief Boki also chose Mānoa Valley as the historic birth site of the very first coffee plantation in Hawaii. With the aid of an agriculture expert, John Wilkinson, the coffee trees were able to survive which allowed its descendants to be brought over to Kona and other islands many years later. Hawaiʻi is the only state in the United States that produces coffee commercially. For more history see coffee production in Hawaii. There are many legends associated with Mānoa. In one legend, Kahalaopuna was born to Kahaukani and Kauakuahine. Kahaukani is the wind of Mānoa and Kauakuahine is the rain of Mānoa. Kakaukani and Kauakuahine were brother and sister, both born to Akaaka (the projecting spur of the Mānoa mountain range) and Nalehuaakaaka (the lehua on the brow of the Mānoa ridge).Thrum, Thomas. ''Hawaiian Folk Tales: A Collection of Native Legends''. A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago. 1907, pp. 118–119.

Education

Hawaii Department of Education The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE, ) is a statewide public education system in the United States. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and communities in the United States, ...

operates public schools in Mānoa, which is also home to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The private Saint Francis School was in Mānoa until its 2019 closure.

Gallery

Image:ManoaValleyOahu.jpg, Mānoa Valley facing Waikiki,

Back of Mānoa Valley.jpg, Sunset over Mānoa as seen from the back of the valley Image:UHVintageAerialPostCard.jpg, Vintage shot of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with the back of the valley in the background Image:Vintage Manoa Valley.jpg, Vintage photo of Mānoa Valley

Points of interest

* Lyon Arboretum * Manoa Falls *

Manoa Falls Trail Mānoa Falls Trail is a trail on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The trail is a part of the Honolulu Makau Trail System, and leads to a popular 150 foot waterfall called Manoa Falls. Hiking the trail is approximately a one-hour round trip. Many to ...

* Manoa Heritage Center * Salvation Army Waiʻoli Tea Room * University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

References

External links

* {{Authority control

Manoa Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from ...