Install the free Cosmo or Cortona Player

Link to the free Cosmo Player for 3D Worlds by Computer Associates

Link to the free Cortona VRML Client by Parallel Graphics

then click this link: * Pu`u Li`i Li`i * * *

to interact with a virtual reality model of the historic taro fields

found near Ka`ala Farms in Wai`anae District, on the island of O`ahu

The view is to the north and shows the historic taro fields (light green, shaded area) near Pu`u Li`i Li`i, located near the middle of the view. This small cone-shaped peak is at the base of the steep cliffs that lead up to Ka`ala, the highest mountain on O`ahu. Historic land awards can be seen outlined in lavender, and represent “kuleana” (native Hawaiian land holdings) and grants awarded during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

A map that was made in 1906 by the well known surveyor M.D. Monsarratt was used to identify these fields and through his eyes it is easy to see that taro farms dominated the land use of this region at that time. Some of the modern trails found near the restored taro fields of Ka`ala Farms (Camp Ka`ala) are shown as red and blue lines that are southeast (lower right) of Pu`u Li`il`i .

Students participating in the Hawaiian Studies Program at Wai`ana`e High School mapped these trails using differential GPS (Global Positioning System) techniques in 2002 and 2003. They used geographic information system techniques to place the trails, as well as the information on the ancient taro lands, on digital reference maps of the area.

The 3 dimensional model itself was created using ArcGIS software (Environmental Systems Research Institute) and is based on a digital elevation model (DEM) published by the United States Geological Survey.