‘Ohia Tree

The ‘Ohia tree is an endemic tree in Hawaii. It was sacred to the Hawaiians partially because it managed to grow straight out of hard black lava rock. The flowers are used in leis as well as the leaves. The wood was used in many ways by the Hawaiian because it is dense and very hard. It’s the official flower of the island of Hawaii.

Pahoehoe Lava

Pahoehoe lava is lava that is created in a thick, slow moving lava flow that had very little gas in it. The ropey, twisted texture is created went the molten lava encounters an obstacle and buckles, forming folds and ridges. Eruption that cause pahoehoe lava flows are generally slower, quieter, and longer lasting that a’a lava flows, which are more explosive.

Pololu Valley

Pololu Valley was the home of King Kamehaheha as a child. It was an ideal place to grow taro before a tsunami made the marsh near it’s mouth briny. The tsunami also left large sand dunes which are held in place now by a forest of ironwood trees. The valley is on one of the oldest parts of the island and is large because it has had time to form. Being on the windward side of the island, heavy rains carved the deep valley out of the mountains.

Pu’uhonua O’ Honaunau

Pu’uhonua O’ Honaunau is a National Historical Park. A Pu’uhonua was a place of refuge. If someone broke Kapu, the sacred laws of the Hawaiians, the only punishment was death. The offender’s only hope for survival was to reach a Pu’uhonua. Once inside, no harm could be done and the offender was forgiven in the eyes of the gods. They were distributed around the islands to ensure one was never too far away from a second chance.

Pu’ukohola Heiau

A heiau is a temple built by Hawaiians to achive a goal. They were built to please the gods that would have an effect on whether that goal was reached or not. Pu’ukohola, meaning place of the hill of the whale, was built by King Kamehameha I in order to please the god of war. He wanted to go to war with other cheifs because doing so would allow him to unite the Hawaiian islands. The heiau was built by his army. They formed a chain from his birthplace, Pololu Valley, to the site it was to be built on. Every rock in the structure was passed hand-over-hand from the valley, never touching the ground on it’s journey to the heiau. This not only strengthened the men in the king’s army, but was also believed to increase the power of the heiau.