Waipi'o Valley - Valley of the Kings - Big Island
Hawaiian Waipi‘o, also called Valley of the Kings valley is located along the Hamakua Coast on the northeast shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, the Waipi`o Valley is the largest and most southern of the seven valleys on the windward side of the Kohala Mountains. The Hamakua coast is a scenic drive through former sugar cane plantation lands now planted with trees and dotted with small farms of ginger, papayas and many other flowers and foods. The sugar cane companies have long restricted access to this pristine area. Recently purchased by the Bishop Estate, the full impacts of these views are just now being discovered.
Enveloped on three sides by 2,500-foot- (750-metre-) high cliffs ribboned with spectacular waterfalls (including Hawaii's most celebrated waterfalls Hiilawe Falls, which drops more than 1,000 feet [300 meters]), the picturesque valley faces a heavy Pacific surf along the Hamakua coast, where it is fringed by an impassable reef. These overlooks are only accessible on horseback, on foot, by 4-wheel drive, or by mountain bike. Even helicopters are not allowed to get that close to the rim above the valley floor.
The valley has both historical and cultural importance to the Hawaiian
people. According to oral histories as few as 4000 or as many as 10,000
people lived in Waipi`o during the times before the arrival of Captain
Cook in 1778. Waipi`o was the most fertile and productive valley on the
Big Island of Hawaii.
It was at Waipi`o in 1780 that Kamehameha the Great received his war god Kukailimoku who proclaimed him the future ruler of the islands.
It was off the coast of Waimanu, near Waipi`o, that Kamehameha engaged Kahekili, the Lord of the leeward islands, and his half-brother, Kaeokulani of Kauai, in the first naval battle in Hawaiian history - Kepuwahaulaula, known as the Battle of the Red-Mouthed Guns. Kamehameha thus began his conquest of the islands.
Aside from its historical importance, the Waipi`o Valley is a sacred place for Hawaiians. It was the site of many important heiaus (temples).
The most sacred, Pakaalana, was also the site of one of the island's two major pu`uhonua or places of refuge, the other being Pu`uhonua O Honaunau
Java VR tour from Hamakua Coast with Waipio Valley
Please visit Full Screen QTVR tours from:
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>>> The Endangered Buddhist Temples of Hawai'i
>>> Mauna Kea,13,796 ft (4,205 m) high
>>> Waipi'o Valley
>>> Liliuokalani Gardens, Hilo
>>> Wailuku River, Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots
>>> Pana`ewa Rainforest Zoo
>>> Akaka and Kahuna Falls (Updates)
>>> Hilo Area(Updates)
>>> Hamakua Coast(Updates)