In the early 1980s, a handful of Native Hawaiian students enrolled at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa uncovered the remnants of an ancient ‘auwai (irrigation ditch) in bushes alongside Mānoa stream.

They discovered that this land, called Kānewai, was highly valued for its kalo productivity even before Kamehameha conquered O‘ahu and remained a royal possession for a long period of time. The site was later cultivated by farmers of Chinese and Japanese ancestry, before becoming part of the landscape of the university where it was forgotten.

Today, there are a variety of native and indigenous trees and shrubs growing along the stream and low-lying slopes. Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai sustains a thriving taro patch that shares its resources with the community. It is a piko (connection) for Hawaiian Knowledge at the University of Hawaiʻi.