The features of the water rainbow ​

 

According to the Hawaiian-English dictionaries, this is the definition o this type of rainbow:[1]

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Pukui/Elbert:      Lit., rainbow [seen in] water.

 

Primary trait:             A faint misty rainbow 

Secondary trait:        A rainbow adjoining water

 

A water rainbow (na Kelpfish | Dreamstime.com)

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According to a Hawaiian poetical saying:  "Ka ua lei mā'ohu o Waiānuenue."

 

"The rain of Waianuenue that is like a wreath of mist."

Wai-anuenue (Rainbow-water) in Hilo, Hawai'i, is now known as Rainbow Falls. On sunny days a rainbow can be seen in the falls, and on rainy days the rising vapor is suggestive of a wreath of mist.[2]

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The strata that the water rainbow appears

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Since the water rainbow adjoins a water source, it usually appears within the lewa hoʻomakua or a portion of the lewa lani lewa.

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The times at which the water rainbow appears 

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The water rainbow appears at various times. The important thing from the scientific perspective is the proper geometry, including the 40 - 42 degree angle from the observer and the sun. The water rainbow appears around waterfalls, large surf, and the end of water hoses. 

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The signs/omens of the water rainbow

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There were no water rainbow signs/omens found within the analyzed sources, however there is one interesting story about this type of rainbow. A gigantic fresh water eel living above rainbow falls on the island of Hawaiʻi. Hina and Maui arrived and were living behind the waterfall. They were frequently harrased by this eel, and so Maui eventually killed him.

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[1] Ua unuhi ʻia nā wehewehena o nā ʻano ānuenue i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no kēia papahana laeoʻo. E nānā ʻia ka māhele 1.1.1 no kekahi hoʻākaaka ʻana.

[2] Mary K. Pukui. (1983). ʻŌlelo Noʻeau. Honolulu, HI: Bishop Museum Press. #1580.

[3] Marie Alohalani Brown. 2022. Ka Poʻe Moʻo Akua. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaiʻi Press. ʻaoʻao 45.