Island Breath: Kauai Legends

SUBJECT: GHOST STORIES

SOURCE: LOUIS ALMODOVA Jr. saltpondlouie@aol.com

POSTED: 26 APRIL 2004 - 8:00pm HST

The Legend of Spouting Horn

The Spouting Horn lava tube near Lawaikai, Kauai

As told to us by Uncle Louis, the mayor of Salt Pond Beach -

The Legend of the Spouting Horn is about a lizard family, consisting of a brother and two sisters. The three left their homeland for a swim. After they swam a long way they spotted two islands. The closer one was named Niihau and the farther one was named Kauai. The brother could see that, although far away, Kauai was beautiful and lush. He wanted to go and visit Kauai, but the sisters were too tired and wanted to rest. So they decided to stay where they were on the beach on the island of Niihau and let their little brother explore.

The brother headed off toward the island of Kauai. He swam and swam. As he got near Kauai he could see beautiful green mountains in the distance. After a while he got tired and decided to land as soon as he could. He came to rest at the old Koloa Landing and waited there for his sisters. He waited a long time, but they never arrived.

He was lonely and being that they didnt come, he swam back to Niihau and went looking for them. When he landed on Niihau he searched and searched. All he found were two large rocks, boulders really, near where he had left them on the beach. At last he realized that the two large rocks were all that was left of his sisters.

Sadly he swam back to Kauai. He cried and he cried, and when he got near Koloa Landing he was caught by a big wave that pushed him along the shore. He missed Koloa Landing and passed Kukuiola Bay and then was shoved by the wave under a lava tube just short of Lawaii Kai. He has been trapped there since. Whenever the waves come back you can hear him moan and see his breath bursting from the lava tube at Spouting Horn.