‘Alekoki
In the story of Ke-ao-melemele, the youngest of the five siblings, Kaulanaikapoki‘i "went as far as the upgrade of Nu‘uanu Avenue at Ma‘ema‘e, just above Judd Street, where it slopes toward the stream. There the water pipe bridges it just below ‘Alekoki pool. A great rock lies there to this day, called Alele (Leaping Place). It was there that she stood and began the leap that landed her directly on ‘Ihi‘ihilauakea. (She was going to Hawai‘i).
Moses Manu
Legend of Ke-ao-melemele
Ku‘oko‘a, March 28, 1885
(‘Ihi‘ihi-lau-akea is a crater west of Hanauma Bay, "the wild-leafed ‘ihi‘ihi," a native plant unknown or extent said to have lived there--Place Names of Hawai‘i.)
‘Alekoki Pool ("short ripples") is sometimes written on maps as "Elekoki."
Monsarrat's 1920 map of Honolulu.
An old photograph of ‘Alekoki pool.
Courtesy of Hawai‘i State Archives.
In Place Names of Hawai‘i ‘Alekoki Pool is said to be no longer in existence. But one Hawaiian kupuna (elder) referred to the pool shown below as ‘Alekoki. The large rock in the back, now heavily overgrown by banyon trees, bears some resemblance to that in the photograph above.
It is said that this is where local schoolchildren used to go when they were "playing hookey" from school.
