Why are some place names, such as Kailua and Waimea, duplicated on different islands?
Until the late 18th century, Hawaii was divided into multiple kingdoms, which went their own ways on establishing place names (I guess the kings were too busy trying to do each other in, to bother with coordinating on place names). Place name duplication persisted long after unification of the islands. But what Kamehameha the Great left undone, the U.S. Postal Service ultimately accomplished, spurring name changes such as to the Big Island’s Kailua (now Kailua-Kona) to avoid confusion with Kailua on Oahu, and to the Waimeas on Oahu and the Big Island to avoid confusion with Waimea on Kauai. (For postal purposes, the Waimeas on Oahu and the Big Island are now respectively Maunawai and Kamuela. But the Big Island’s Waimea still often goes by the old name. And the smallest Waimea, on Oahu’s north shore, remains the most famous due to its long-standing popularity with surfers, and also the short-lived TV series “North Shore” set largely in the fictitious Grand Waimea resort there.) Still a
