One of Kauaʻi’s most legendary structures is an ancient heiau, or place of worship called the Poliahu Heiau. One of seven built along the Wailua River, it is commemorated by this plaque, commissioned and cast by Kate Kelly, then erected in 1928. The exact wording of the plaque is below:
Historical Landmark Territory of Hawai’i
HEIAU
OF
POLIAHU
ACCORDING TO HAWAIIAN TRADITION,
THIS HEIAU WAS BUILT BY THE
MENEHUNES
(HAWAIIAN DWARFS OR BROWNIES)
IN ITS CEREMONIAL OBSERVANCES,
THE HEIAU OF POLIAHU WAS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE HEIAU OF
MALAE, WHICH IS SITUATED
ON A RIDGE NEAR THE MOUTH OF
THE WAILUA RIVER AND WHICH
CAN BE SEEN FROM ITS PLACE.
TABLET ERECTED 1928
BY SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
Another famous plaque by Kate Kelly is located at Diamond Head Lookout on the island of Oʻahu. Cast in bronze by Kate Kelly, it was done in commemoration of Amelia Earhart's first solo flight to Hawaiʻi from California in January 1935. This was the first time a pilot had successfully flown solo to Hawaiʻi from the continental United States.
It was featured on the cover of LIFE Magazine in July 1937, shortly after the famous aviatrix went missing.
