Erosion along the beach in Kaaawa in recent months has exposed a bit of history.

At some point, it appears, large metal storage drums were filled with rocks and sand, then place along the beach at the side of the road. It appears they were intended to prevent further erosion and protect the roadway. These are located right at the edge of Kamehameha Highway near the corner of Puakenikeni Road.

In this stretch, the heavily-rusted tops of about eight of them are now visible in one spot, and several others in another.

In later years, the large rocks that show in the photo were dumped along the highway, covering most of the metal drums. In a few spots, though, they have been covered with sand for years and only recently exposed when the sand was washed away.

I’m guessing these date back as far as WWII, when Kaaawa was the site of the U.S. Army’s Camp Kaaawa, formally the Kaaawa Military Reservation. Thousands of GIs were housed here while undergoing training at the Jungle Warfare Center in Kahana. There are other remnants of that era, including remains of a pipeline out into the ocean near the corner of Polinalina Road. An archival photo from that era is at the bottom.

Any other information would be appreciated!

Click on any photo to see a larger version.