MÃÂnoa or MÃÂnoa Valley (, ) is a valley and residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from Ala Moana and Waikëkë.
Similar to many Honolulu neighborhoods, MÃÂnoa consists of an entire valley, running from MÃÂnoa Falls at the mauka (inland-most) end to King Street. The valley receives almost daily rain, even during the dry season, and is thus richly vegetated â though the valley walls are often dry. Seeing rainbows in the valley is a common occurrence, and is the source of the University of Hawaiûi at MÃÂnoa sports team names, the Rainbow Warriors (for men's teams) and Rainbow Wahine (for the women, with the beach volleyball team more often using BeachBows).
The neighborhood is composed of private houses built before the 1960s and low-rise condominiums. MÃÂnoa is home to the University of Hawaiûi at MÃÂnoa, the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiûi System. The university has several faculty and student residence areas in MÃÂnoa.
Other educational institutions located in MÃÂnoa include MÃÂnoa Elementary School, Noelani Elementary School, Punahou School, the Mid-Pacific Institute, Saint Francis School, and a handful of small, private preschools.
The central shopping area of MÃÂnoa is the MÃÂnoa Marketplace which features a farmer's market several days of the week. More recent development has seen housing on steeper parts of the Diamond Head side valley wall.
MÃÂnoa means thick, solid, vast, depth, or thickness in the Hawaiian language. There is another valley named MÃÂnoa on the north shore of Kauaûi.
MÃÂnoa Stream begins at the base of MÃÂnoa Falls and runs through the valley before joining the Palolo Stream to form the MÃÂnoa-Palolo drainage canal, which flows into the Ala Wai Canal. Floods caused by high rainfall have plagued the residents living along MÃÂnoa Stream. Most recent was on October 30, 2004, when MÃÂnoa Stream overflowed causing millions of dollars in damages to residential homes and University of Hawaiûi at MÃÂnoa buildings.
MÃÂnoa was the site of the first sugarcane and coffee plantations in the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian coffee was first introduced along MÃÂnoa Valley in 1813 by Don Francisco de Paula y Marytin as an ornamental plant. In 1825 Chief Boki, the Royal Governor of Oahu, followed up and brought coffee trees back from Brazil on the ship .
Chief Boki also chose MÃÂnoa Valley as the historic birth site of the very first coffee plantation in Hawaii. With the aid of an agriculture expert, John Wilkinson, the coffee trees were able to survive which allowed its descendants to be brought over to Kona and other islands many years later. Hawaiûi is the only state in the United States that produces coffee commercially. For more history see coffee production in Hawaii.
There are many legends associated with MÃÂnoa. In one legend, Kahalaopuna was born to Kahaukani and Kauakuahine. Kahaukani is the wind of MÃÂnoa and Kauakuahine is the rain of MÃÂnoa. Kakaukani and Kauakuahine were brother and sister, both born to Akaaka (the projecting spur of the MÃÂnoa mountain range) and Nalehuaakaaka (the lehua on the brow of the MÃÂnoa ridge).
The Hawaii State Department of Education operates public schools in MÃÂnoa. It is also home to the University of Hawaiûi at MÃÂnoa.
The private Saint Francis School was in MÃÂnoa until its closure in 2019.