The most visited stretch of beach in Hawai’i should be underwater. Instead, it’s kept afloat by over thirty thousand tons  of sand-- sand that drifts out to sea every 5 to 10 years before it's replaced yet again. Before the Ala Wai canal drained the watershed, Waikiki sustained a native population of over a million, and fed and nurtured its diverse wildlife in a self-sustaining system. Today, king tides are trying to reclaim Waikiki. “This is not the end of civilization, but a return to one. Only the water insisting on what it should always have, spreading its liniment over infected wounds. Only the water rising above us, reteaching us wealth, and remembering its name.” In this episode, we visit the man-made beach of Waikiki. Poet Brandy Nālani McDougall reads from her collection “The Salt-Wind, Ka Makani Paʻakai” and tells us of Hawai’i before the Ala Wai. Frankie Koethe, community outreach liaison for the Ko’olau Mountains Watershed Partnership, explains the intricacies of the Waikiki watershed and the dangers it faces in an era of urbanization.