Lava flow covers Wanānāliʻi fish pond

In 1810 a large fishpond, approximately two miles in circumference, was built at the order of Kamehameha the Great near the fishing village of Wainānāliʻi. Fed by underground freshwater streams, the brackish water of the pond provided bountiful harvests. In 1859 a lava flow descended the slopes of Mauna Loa and through the village and the fishpond, destroying much of the village and the vast majority of the fishpond. Where prized fish like moi and awa were once raised, nothing remained but a plain of black stone. Remnants of the southern tip of the fishpond can still be seen today, as well as a few smaller fishponds still maintained by the current owners.

According to newspaper reports at the time as well as oral histories from the current landowners, the grounds of the old village church were spared during the lava flow. The people of the village, fearing that the lava would also consume the church, disassembled the building and moved it to the opposite side of the bay, where remnants of a later church can still be seen. The lava flow did not, however, cover the original grounds of the church. A small green area covered by kiawe trees and other foliage surrounded by barren lava rock still marks the site.