Hanapēpē River
River located on the island of Kauai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hanapēpē River is a river on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. It begins at the confluence of the Kōʻula River with the Manuahi Stream and flows generally south, with a total length of 24.2 km (15.0 mi)[2] to its mouth at Hanapēpē and ʻEleʻele in the Pacific Ocean.[3] The watershed covers an area of 27.7 square miles, draining roughly a twentieth of the island.[4] The name Hanapēpē translates to "crushed bay," which may refer to landslides in the area.[5][6]
| Hanapēpē River | |
|---|---|
 Swinging bridge across the river in Hanapēpē | |
  Location of mouth  Hanapēpē River (Hawaii) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Hawaii |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of the Kōʻula River and Manuahi stream |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
• location | Hanapēpē, ʻEleʻele |
• coordinates | 21°54′15″N 159°35′29″W |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 24.2 km (15.0 mi) |
| Basin size | 27.7 sq mi (72 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Below Manuahi stream |
| • average | 85.2 cu ft/s (2.41 m3/s)[1] |
The river drains the fertile Hanapēpē Valley, a region that was historically used for growing rice, taro, coffee, and sugarcane.[7][8] During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the valley attracted Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino immigrant workers, many of whom started their own farms or businesses.[7][9] More recently, the Hanapēpē Valley was used for filming parts of the 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park.[8]
Near its mouth in Hanapēpē, the river passes under the Hanapēpē Swinging Bridge. The footbridge was built in 1911 to provide Hanapēpē residents with a way to cross the river, and was restored in 1992 after Hurricane Iniki. Considered a local tourist attraction, the bridge is popular with children due to its tendency to rock back and forth.[10]
