Nalu St. (2024)

In the ahupuaʻa of Waimānalo, which lies in the moku of Koʻolaupoko here on Oʻahu, stands a street with the name that translates as “wave” or “to surf.”
We are speaking of Nalu St.
As a noun, the Hawaiian word nalu translates as “wave or surf.”
But “to surf” as a verb is heʻe nalu, literally meaning “wave sliding.”
Despite myths saying that in old Hawaiʻi, surfing was not reserved only for the aliʻi or ruling class as surfing was for everyone.
However, there were certain boards and surf spots reserved for the ruling class along with certain rules that needed to be followed.
For example, the olo was a long but narrow board used by chiefs where its size showcased their mana, their power.
Commoners used other surfboards such as the alaia, a smaller, thin yet heavy board usually made from koa wood.
The surfing we know of today steams back to a kīkoʻo style board which was a style commonly used by the Godfather of Modern-Day Surfing, Duke Kahanamoku, who is credited for sharing surfing outside of Hawaiʻi in Australia in 1914.
But did you know that surfing was actually shared with the American continent nearly three decades prior by three royal brothers?
In 1885, while attending a military school in California, David Kawānanakoa, Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, and Edward Keliʻiahonui, had commissioned redwood planks shaped in the style of olo boards, weighing 100 pounds and 15 feet in length.
Beginning a craze never seen before in the new world, the three Hawaiian princes surfed waves in the mouth of the San Lorenzo River.
In 1900, Prince David, who would’ve become King Kalākaua II if he ascended the throne, ran for Delegate to US Congress as a Democrat and loss.
Two years later, brother Prince Kūhiō ran for the same office as a Republican and won.
Till this day, he remains the only member of Congress born into royalty.
Did you know? Now you do!