Hoʻoulu i ka momona
Cultivating abundance at loko iʻa lua pele o Nōmilu
Hawaiian moʻolelo recounts how Nōmilu was formed during a battle between Pele and her older sister, Nāmakaokahaʻi. While searching Kauaʻi for a home, Pele caused the hill where they fought to erupt, scattering stones across the plains of Wahiawa. Nāmakaokahaʻi then flooded the crater, creating the pond.
Before leaving, Pele turned two supernatural eels—Puhi-ʻula, “red eel,” and Puhi-pakapaka, “scaly eel”—into stone to serve as guardians of the pond. They remain at Nōmilu today.
Kauaʻi Sea Farm’s logo depicts these two guardians, honoring the moʻolelo and its connection to this place.
Adapted from Wichman (1998), pp. 35–36.
