Paepae O He'eia

Paepae O He'eia is a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for an ancient Hawaiian Fish pond that is located in He'eia, Ko'olaupoko, Kaneohe. It was established by a group of young Hawaiians and works in partnership with Kamehameha Schools, land owners, to maintain and manage this fish pond for the community. From all the pictures that we have seen shown by the staff there, they changed a whole lot and cleaned it up real good. This fish pond has changed over the last two years by the staff, they removed most of the Mangroves there due to all the mud it was causing and made more secure Makahā's which are very useful for that Pond.We got to see Native & Invasive Plants while walking along where the Mangroves were, and also played a little line up to see how the rocks were stacked here. These huge rocks were carried down from the mountains from the hands of Hawaiians and stacked up. 

We got to see the Makahā and the Kia'i and were told all about it. There were legends about the man who owned this pond and what would happen to those who would come and take fish or whatever without asking. The Kia'i was made right next to the gates so that the Guardians would watch for the fishes that are coming in and out. It was a very nice hale and Makahā.

Then it was time for our service and help out by removing the invasive seaweed. There were a lot surrounding the fence that was put there which has a lot of fishes inside. It was hard for them to get the water in there with all of the Limu blocking the wholes of the fence. It was a new experience for most of the students and they were scared at first but enjoyed after. As they pulled and reached for the limū, they caught Crabs, Fishes, and Shrimps as well. The best part was just reaching for it because you can't see anything beneath the water due to the mud and sand mixed and all the movement in the water. Basically, you were just feeling for it. The students had a great time, and some of them wouldn't mind doing it again.

After all of the things that has been said and taught by the staff here at the fish pond, the students had one last mission and that was to go on a Scavenger Hunt. It was a nice activity to end the day and they enjoyed it and contributed as a group.