The History of Hanalei Pier
You may recognize Hanalei Bay as home to the “Puff the Magic Dragon” mountain range, or from 50’s Hollywood hits Bird of Paradise or South Pacific. The Hanalei Pier, featured in postcards, paintings, and other iterations of the bay is synonymous with Kauaʻi’s North Shore. A little known fact about the pier is that it is a historic landmark for its role in Kauaʻi’s exportation of rice.
Image by Kauaʻi Photographer – Kit
A community gathering place, the pier at Hanalei Bay is often clad with local fisherman and beach-goers jumping into the clear and calm waters below. The learner-friendly surf break beside Hanalei Pier is popular for all ages, while the more advanced offshore break is renowned for its enormous waves in the winter months. The family-friendly hot spot sits at the base of Black Pot Beach Park, where the Hanalei River meets the Pacific. The beach’s name comes from the tradition of fishermen casting net there, and cooking the catch in a big black iron pot for beachfront gatherings.
The 340-foot Hanalei Pier was a major port of transportation (of people and goods) for the island of Kauaʻi. Before there were sugar plantations, Hawaiʻi’s largest export was rice. The pier itself is a physical manifestation of the last of the rice era, with the finger pier design reminiscent of 1920’s Hawaiʻi and the shed frame of corrugated iron following suit. Originally used as a vessel to transport goods to market, the pier is still a fixture in the North Shore community.
Originally constructed of wood in 1892, the Hanalei Pier was used primarily to unload goods and cargo coming to the island by inter-island steam ship. As the rice industry started to take hold, a new pier was constructed that included concrete and a wooden deck in the early 1920’s. Unlike today’s regular Matson deliveries, the early steamships only arrived once per month, so local growers would have to get their products down to the bay in order to sell anything off-island.
Hanalei’s farmers would send their milled rice down the river via boat to be offloaded onto smaller boats and avoid having to enter the bay. Once the rice reached the bay via boat, it was loaded onto iron railroad tracks built on the pier, and shuttled out to awaiting cargo ships to take to Honolulu for sale. (You can still see evidence of the old tracks near the base of the pier today.) The tracking greatly expedited the arduous process of transporting rice from shore to ship.
The pier continued to change with the economy, as North Shore ranchers began to ship cattle in the mid 20’s, and more Hollywood films came through in the 60’s. With repairs along the way, the pier remained relatively the same until 1992. When Hurricane Iniki hit the pier required a major reconstruction, but maintained its same look.
In 2012, the Hanalei Pier canopy was in dire need of repair. The community pushed for change, establishing a grassroots “Save the Pier” effort. The Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay stepped in with the help of Holo Holo Charters. By sponsoring the reconstruction effort, Holo Holo was able to offer support in preserving a valued historical site. A blessing ceremony was held at the completion of reconstruction on 12/18/2014, rededicating the Hanalei Pier to the people of Kauaʻi.
The Hanalei Pier was placed on the Hawaiʻi Register of Historic Places in July of 1979, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in September of that same year. Curious about more historical spots on the island? A list of Kauaʻi’s historic properties is provided by the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation here.