Peepee Falls: Photograph by Will Tenney

Peepee Falls

Peepee Falls. Peepee Falls? Sounds like a toddler’s announcement of a needed diaper change.

Contrary to how it appears on street signs, the name in the Hawaiian language is actually Pe‘epe‘e. See how correct punctuation that includes the ‘okina glottal stop mark can help to clarify things? “Pay-aypay-ay Falls.”

Tumbling out of the hills above Hilo, the Wailuku River spills over several impressive cataracts including Pe‘epe‘e before emptying into the Pacific. Several of these falls are very popular and are regular stops for nearly all of the local tour buses. But the best news is that the river is not yellow after all.