KohalaWhere the Big Island began
Kohala, at the island's northern tip, is the oldest of the Big Island's five volcanoes and the first to rise above the sea. It last erupted around 120,000 years ago and is extinct. Its summit reaches 1,670 metres, much lower than it once stood, because the volcano has sunk and been worn down by rain and waves.
On its wet, windward side, streams have cut the deep amphitheatre valleys of Waipiʻo, Waimanu and Pololū, with sheer walls and waterfalls dropping to black-sand beaches. A giant landslide long ago carried part of the volcano into the sea, leaving the high sea cliffs of the northeast coast.
The birthplace of a kingNorth Kohala
North Kohala is where Kamehameha the Great, who united the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom, was born around 1758, and the district is rich in history, from the ancient Moʻokini Heiau to the original Kamehameha statue in Kapaʻau.
Today it is one of the most rewarding corners of the island to explore. The short, steep Pololū Valley trail descends to a boulder beach, and the Waipiʻo Valley lookout gives a view straight into the valley Hawaiians call the valley of the kings.
