Waimea River (Kauaʻi)
Major river on the island of Kauaʻi in the U.S. state of Hawaii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Waimea River is the largest and the longest river on the island of Kauaʻi in the U.S. state of Hawaii. At 35.7 km (22.2 mi) in length,[1] it is the 3rd longest river in the Hawaiian Islands, draining one sixth of the total area of the island.
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| Waimea | |
|---|---|
| |
  Location of mouth | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Hawaii |
| Region | Kauaʻi |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Alaka'i Swamp (confluence of the Waiahulu and Po'omau streams) |
| • coordinates | 22°05′25″N 159°39′19″W |
| Mouth | |
• location | Waimea, Kauaʻi County, Hawaii |
• coordinates | 21°57′17″N 159°39′35″W |
| Length | 35.7 km (22.2 mi) |
Basin size | 227 km2 (88 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Makaweli River |
It rises in a wet plateau of the island's central highlands, in the Alakaʻi Swamp, the largest high-elevation swamp in the world. It flows south, passing through the spectacular 3,000-foot-deep (910 m) Waimea Canyon, known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."
The valleys of the Waimea River and its tributary, the Makaweli River, were once heavily populated. It enters the Pacific Ocean at Waimea, near the 1778 landing place of Captain Cook on Kauaʻi.