Honu'apo Park Resource Management Plan

Honuÿapo Park Final Resources Management Plan
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), the region generally lacks true soil, being primarily of
pähoehoe or ‘a‘ä lava too young for soil formation. “Pähala ash” helped build the
soils (Andisols order) that sustained the Ka‘ü district’s sugar cane industry through
much of the 19 th and 20 th centuries.
No permanent streams are present in the vicinity of Honuÿapo. Subsurface streams
fed by upland precipitation penetrate the relatively young porous basalt flows of
the area, creating a system of sub-surface fresh water flows that feed coastal
wetlands and offshore freshwater seeps, such as those of Honuÿapo Bay. Anchialine
ponds, which contain brackish waters and exhibit tidal fluctuations without a
surface connection to the ocean, also occur in the coastal zone throughout the
district.
2.2.4 Surrounding Landowners and Land Uses
Lands surrounding Honuÿapo Park are dominated by open space and extensive
agricultural uses. The majority of the Honuÿapo Park property itself is currently
undeveloped open space, with only the southernmost portion of the property, near
Honuÿapo Estuary and Honuÿapo Bay, being maintained as a public park.
Lands ma uka of Honuÿapo Park are privately owned and leased for cattle grazing.
Directly to the northeast of Honuÿapo Park, the rugged coastal land is owned by the
State of Hawaiÿi and is undeveloped open space. Residential development in
coastal areas of South Kaÿü has been very limited, except for the Sea Mountain
Resort at Punaluÿu and one house, located on the ÿaÿä flow to the north of the park.
To the south of Honuÿapo, a few houses are located along the highway as it begins
to ascend along the hillside; the remainder of the land around Honuÿapo Bay is
open space or used for cattle grazing. Figure 2-4 indicates the major landowners in
the vicinity of Honuÿapo Park.
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