The Afong property was located close to Ka’ihikapu loko, the largest fishpond in Waikiki at thirteen acres and likely established by the fifteenth century.

The loko was named for one of Waikiki’s pre-contact chiefs and celebrated in the legend of ‘Ouha and Mamala. ‘Ouha went to ka’ihikapu loko after the great surfrider Mamala left him for Chief Honokaupu. At the pond, ‘Ouha offered a basket of shrimp and fish to the women of the area. When he opened the basket, the creatures leaped out, and ‘Ouha fled in shame as the women laughed at him. He shed his human form and became the great shark-god who patrolled the coast between Waikiki and Koko Head.

Sources

Dye, Bob, ed. 1996. Hawai’i Chronicles: Island History from the Pages of Honolulu Magazine. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.

Kanahele, George S. 1995. Waikiki, 100 BC to 1990 AD: An Untold Story. Honolulu: The Queen Emma Foundation.

Pukui, Mary Kawena and Samuel H. Elbert and Esther T. Mookini. 1974. Place Names of Hawai’i. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.

Westervelt, W.D. 1915. Hawaiian Legends of Old Honolulu. Boston: G.H. Press.

Commemorative plaque at US Army Museum of Hawai’i at Fort DeRussy