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Waipi'o
Waipi‘o Valley created by the molten lava of the now extinct Kohala volcano and intricately sculpted by the waters of Kane many years ago. Often referred to as “Valley of the Kings” for the many ali‘i that lived there. Waipi‘o is one of the seven costal valleys of Hawai‘i Island and is considered to have one of the longest beaches on this island. It was previously heavily populated until the 1946 Tsunami and followed by the 1979 flooding which deluge the valley kept people from moving back. There are many incredible features from “Na pali alo lua o Waipi‘o”, the steep valley walls that face each other down to the beach dune of the valley floor.
The valley is carved by stream erosion and was believed to be deeper than it is today. Long ago, the rising sea level contributed to increased streams which in turn, created landslides that brought in sand, mud, and gravel from the valley walls and filled it to make the flat valley floor. Earthquakes, rockfalls, and constant wave action kept Waipi‘o’s cliffs steep and made the base of the sea cliff on the Kohala side of Waipi’o. The steep valley walls kept people from walking in long ago and canoes were the only way to get into Waipi‘o. Later, the heavy foliage and steep walls was conquered by hand and determination to create the Pali road. The Pali road was made of dirt and gravel, traversed on horse and donkeys to transport Kalo, other produces and supplies in and out of Waipi‘o to neighboring towns such as Kukuihaele and Honoka‘a.. Presently, it is paved with black man made lava, asphalt, however, it remains a steep and dangerous road which allows only 4-wheel drive vehicles.
Hi‘ilawe, known as the twin waterfalls, infamous to Waipi‘o valley. At one time prior to sugar cane industry, both waterfalls flowed forcefully, until plantation workers manipulated its flow. The sugar plantation utilized the water source that fed the waterfall to irrigate the sugarcane fields. They rerouted the water by boring a tunnel into the valley wall to the irrigation ditches. Sadly, the water now flows only when there is plentiful rain, however even with the plentiful rain, sometimes only the left side flows. The tunnel that was a cut into the mountain has since been exposed due to weathering and erosion, and can be seen running horizontally across the back of the valley wall.
One of the major rivers of Waipi‘o Valley is the Hi‘ilawe River, which traverse from the base of Hi‘ilawe Waterfall to the ocean. The Hi‘ilawe River is an important water source for inhabitants of old and present day. Once this river fed many of the Lo‘i Kalo (taro patch) but now feeds just a few of them before running into the ocean. Hi‘ilawe River was a source for protein diet of Hawaiians of old [next page]