Mullet water
Wai is fresh water and ʻanae is the adult mullet, a fish raised in Hawaiian fishponds and valued enough to be reserved for chiefs at certain seasons. The name points to a place where the fish were kept or caught.
The name covers the town, the district and the mountain range that forms the western side of Oʻahu.
The dry side
Waiʻanae sits in the rain shadow and is the driest part of the island. The Waiʻanae range holds Kaʻala, the highest point on Oʻahu, with a bog at its summit.
The district has among the highest proportions of Native Hawaiian residents on Oʻahu, and the Kaiāulu — the gentle trade wind of this coast — takes its name from the same stretch of shore.