Hanapēpē River

The Hanapepe River is a river on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It begins at the confluence of the Kō'ula River with the Manuahi Stream and flows generally south for 5.3 miles (8.5 km)[2] to its mouth at Hanapepe and Eleele in the Pacific Ocean.[3] The watershed covers an area of 27.7 square miles, draining roughly a twentieth of the island.[4] The name Hanapepe translates to "crushed bay," which may refer to landslides in the area.[5][6]

Hanapēpē River
Swinging bridge across the river in Hanapepe
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Location
Country	United States
State	Hawaii
Physical characteristics
Source	Confluence of the Kō'ula River and Manuahi stream
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
• location	Hanapepe, Hawaii, Eleele, Hawaii
• coordinates	21°54′15″N 159°35′29″W
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	5.3 miles (8.5 km)
Basin size	27.7 sq mi (72 km2)
Discharge
• location	Below Manuahi stream
• average	85.2 cu ft/s (2.41 m3/s)[1]

The river drains the fertile Hanapepe Valley, a region that was historically used for growing rice, taro, coffee, and sugarcane.[7][8] During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the valley attracted Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino immigrant workers, many of whom started their own farms or businesses.[7][9] More recently, the Hanapepe Valley was used for filming parts of the 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park.[8]

Near its mouth in Hanapepe, the river passes under the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge. The footbridge was built in 1911 to provide Hanapepe residents with a way to cross the river, and was restored in 1992 after Hurricane Iniki. Considered a local tourist attraction, the bridge is popular with children due to its tendency to rock back and forth.[10]