Halawa ( haw, Hālawa, ) is a valley and ahupua'a (traditional land division) at the eastern end of the island of

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, United States. The valley extends some 2 miles inland from the sea. At the head of the valley are two waterfalls, the Mo'aula Falls, high, and the Hipuapua Falls, high. Halawa is the site of one of the earliest settlements in Hawaii. The archeological features of the valley date back 1,350 years, the longest period of continuous Hawaiian cultural development. The valley was extensively used for the production of

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

, and at one time supported a population of several thousand. Archeological remains include 17

heiau A ''heiau'' () is a Hawaiian temple. Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms. There are heiau to treat the sick (''heia ...

(temples), irrigation channels and ancient walls and terraces. The traditional Hawaiian way of life continued in Halawa well into the 20th century. The valley was flooded by the 1946 tsunami and again by the 1957 tsunami, which destroyed the taro fields. The valley was then abandoned. Only a few families now live in the valley. Halawa lies at the end of Hawaii state highway 450, 28 miles east of

Kaunakakai Kaunakakai () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. It is the largest town on the island of Molokai. The population was 3,419 at the 2020 census. It has the largest port on the island and the longest pier ...

. There is a public beach at Halawa, but most of the valley is private land. Local guides offer hiking tours to the waterfalls.

References

Populated places on Molokai Valleys of Hawaii Landforms of Molokai Archaeological sites in Hawaii {{Hawaii-geo-stub