VISITING A HEIAU
You are invited to visit the traditional Hawaiian religious sites listed in this website. However, you are asked to remember that these are religious sites which are still sacred to the Hawaiian people. As historic sites, these places are also fragile and subject to damage and collapse. Please visit with respect and care for these important places.
View the heiau from the exterior. Please do not climb on or over the rock walls. The stacked roof is unstable and may collapse.
It is unlawful to take, excavate, destroy, or alter any historic site on state land. Any person who violates this law is subject to a fine of $10,000 (HRS Chapter 6E-11)
Wrapping a rock in a ti leaf is not a traditional offering. This damages the plants and the integrity of the heiau structure.
Offerings of coins, candles, incense and similar items cause long-term damage.
The historic sites of Hawaii are unique resources that are fragile and cannot be replaced. Please help us protect Hawaii's past for the future.
You are invited to visit the traditional Hawaiian religious sites listed in this website. However, you are asked to remember that these are religious sites which are still sacred to the Hawaiian people. As historic sites, these places are also fragile and subject to damage and collapse. Please visit with respect and care for these important places.
View the heiau from the exterior. Please do not climb on or over the rock walls. The stacked roof is unstable and may collapse.
It is unlawful to take, excavate, destroy, or alter any historic site on state land. Any person who violates this law is subject to a fine of $10,000 (HRS Chapter 6E-11)
Wrapping a rock in a ti leaf is not a traditional offering. This damages the plants and the integrity of the heiau structure.
Offerings of coins, candles, incense and similar items cause long-term damage.
The historic sites of Hawaii are unique resources that are fragile and cannot be replaced. Please help us protect Hawaii's past for the future.
Historical Sites
KAUNOLU ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETIVE PARK
Extremely rough, bone-jarring dirt road - accessible by 4-wheel drive only. Drive on Highway 440 toward Kaumalapau Harbor, past the airport turnoff. Take a sharp left on the first dirt trail and proceed a couple of miles to a yellow standpipe on your right. Turn right and go down the hill toward the ocean and Kaunolu. (South Lanai) A traditional fishing village where daily life revolved around gathering and preparing food from the sea. The site consists of numerous house platforms, stone shelters, gravesites, detached pens and garden patches. There is a heiau (temple) and a koa (fishing shrine), as well as Kahekili's Leap - where Hawaiians practiced lele kawa or cliff jumping. National Historic Landmark. LUAHIWA - RAIN HEIAU AND PETROGLYPH PRESERVE From Lanai City, head toward Manele Bay on Manele Bay Road (Highway 440). Turn left on the first dirt road. Head straight for the large water tank. The petroglyphs are past the tank on the slopes of the hill. (South Lanai) Ancient Hawaiians left their picture albums for us here. These petroglyphs, (Na Kii Pohaku, literally, stone images) were made by the ancient Hawaiian people for "traditional" or spiritual purposes before the 1600's. Two of the stones represent the physical presence of the rain gods and to them prayers were offered to ensure fertility of the land and the race. Covering a three-acre area, most of the petroglyphs are found on the south faces of the boulders. SHIPWRECK BEACH PETROGLYPHS (BIRDMAN OF LANAI) 4-wheel drive only. From the Lodge at Koele, drive past the parking lot to the top of the hill and proceed straight ahead on Highway 440 for 8.5 miles over the mountains. Near the sea, the dirt road to the left becomes a sandy road. Go about 3 miles further to small primitive fishing cabins. A short walk leads to the ruins of a lighthouse, and an arrow on a sign for "The Bird Man of Lanai" points you to the petroglyphs. (East Lanai) The Bird Man of Lanai Petroglyphs are little stick figures about 12 inches tall, with strange, birdlike heads. They decorate the rocks on the lonely and windswept shores of Shipwreck Beach. Their symbolic meaning is a mystery lost in time. This coast has been the graveyard for many vessels. There is a rusty hull of a World War II Liberty Ship stranded on the reef. The beach can still be a nightmare to any captain caught in its turbulent whitecaps and long ragged coral fingers. Museums & Galleries
HEART OF LANAI ART GALLERY
758 Queens Street Lanai City, HI 96763 (Central Lanai) Tel. (808) 565-7815 Paintings by Denise Hennig. Custom-made bowls and ukuleles crafted from Lanai woods. THE LANAI ART CENTER 339 Seventh Street Lanai City, HI 96763 (Central Lanai) Tel. (808) 565-7503 A non-profit co-op of local Lanai citizens dedicated to developing the talents of its members. Classes, chaired by guest artists, are offered periodically. Their gift shop offers distinctive island mementos that couldn't be more genuine. Drop in on a workshop, pay for your supplies, and create your own art. |
Preserves
DOLE PARK
(Central Lanai) Located in the center of Lanai City with its more than 100 Cook Island Pines each reaching over 90 feet in height - the social center of the island. KANEPUU PRESERVE THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF HAWAII (Northwest Lanai) Located 6 miles northwest of Lanai City, on the island's western plateau. The Nature Conservancy's literature states: On the plateau of western Lanai, several patches of an extremely rare dryland forest that once covered the lowlands of the main Hawaiian Islands make up the Kanepuu Preserve (590 acres). Kanepuu Preserve contains the largest remnants of olopua/lama dryland forest in Hawaii and is home to 49 plant species found only here, including three species that are federally endangered: the sandalwood ('iliahi), the Hawaii gardenia (na'u) and the vine Bonamia menziesii. Access to the Kanepuu Preserve is available for self-guided hikes. Informative guided trail signs beautifully designed by a Lanai resident will lead you along the trail. Guided hikes can be arranged for parties of five or more. For more information or to register for a hike or volunteer work party on Lanai please contact the Nature Conservancy's Honolulu office at (808) 537-4508 Trails
KANEPUU PRESERVE - SELF GUIDED TRAIL
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF HAWAII (Northwest Lanai) Located 6 miles northwest of Lanai City, on the island's western plateau. The Nature Conservancy's literature states: The Kanepuu trail is designed to increase the awareness and appreciation of the dry forest of Kanepuu, one of the last remaining examples of the type of forest that once covered the dry lowlands of all the main Hawaiian Islands. The trail has eight stations with interpretive signs that describe a particular feature of natural or cultural significance in the preserve. Most of the signs feature beautiful illustrations by Lanai artist Wendell Kahoohalahala. The short trail, which takes about 10 - 15 minutes to walk, is easily accessible off the main road out to Keahikawelo (Garden of the Gods). For more information, please call the Nature Conservancy's Honolulu office at (808) 537-4508 or visit their site. MUNRO TRAIL (Central Lanai) Trailhead: Lanai Cemetery (outside of Lanai City, past the Lodge at Koele) Approx. 16 miles round trip (all day challenging hike). Can be accessed on foot, by bike and by 4-WD. Caution: Slippery and treacherous when wet. The scenic Lanaihale (Munro) Trail, winds its way among mountain peaks and gorges for more than five miles. Neat rows of pine trees, planted by New Zealand naturalist and visionary George Munro, survive the wind and rain which frequent these heights. The trail climbs Lanaihale, the highest spot on the island (3,370 feet) and then transverses the top of the mountain, affording breathtaking 360 degree views on a clear day of plunging canyons and six islands - Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Hawaii and Oahu. Top BIKING TRAILS MUNRO TRAIL (Central Lanai) Trailhead: Lanai Cemetery (outside of Lanai City, past the Lodge at Koele) Approx. 16 miles round trip (all day challenging hike). Can be accessed on foot, by bike and by 4-WD. Caution: Slippery and treacherous when wet. The scenic Lanaihale (Munro) Trail, winds its way among mountain peaks and gorges for more than five miles. Neat rows of pine trees, planted by New Zealand naturalist and visionary George Munro, survive the wind and rain which frequent these heights. The trail climbs Lanaihale, the highest spot on the island (3,370 feet) and then transverses the top of the mountain, affording breathtaking 360 degree views on a clear day of plunging canyons and six islands - Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Hawaii and Oahu. |