Kawaikini is the highest point on the
Hawaiian Island
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Ku ...
of
Kauai
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
and in
Kauai County
Kauai County ( haw, Kalana o Kauaʻi) (officially known as the County of Kauai) is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It consists of the islands of Kauai, Niihau, Lehua, and Kaula. As of the 2020 Census the population was 73,298. The county ...
and measures in elevation.
It is the summit of the island's inactive central
shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...
, Mount Waialeale. Other peaks on Kauai include:
Waialeale
Mount Waialeale is a shield volcano and the second highest point on the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Its name literally means "rippling water" or "overflowing water"
The mountain, at an elevation of , averages more than of rain ...
(5,148 feet), Namolokama Mountain (4,421 feet), Kalalau Lookout (4,120 feet),
Keanapuka Mountain (4,120 feet), Haupu (2,297 feet) and
Nounou (1,241 feet).
Description
A
rain gauge
A rain gauge (also known as udometer, pluvia metior, pluviometer, ombrometer, and hyetometer) is an instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a predefined area, over a period o ...
placed on the nearby Waialeale lake records daily rainfall and regularly lands Kauai's peaks on the
National Climatic Data Center's list of places averaging the highest annual rainfall. This high rainfall makes reaching the summit difficult on most days.
The rain is not the only barrier to reaching Kawaikini. The
Alakai Wilderness Preserve
''HST-2'', formerly named USNS ''Puerto Rico'' and ''Alakai'', is a vessel owned by the United States Navy Military Sealift Command. She was originally Hawaii Superferry's first high-speed ferry. The vessel was later chartered by Bay Ferries ...
is located to the west and its miles of dense, swampy forest limit access to the summit. To the north, east, and south, Kawaikini is protected by steep, wet cliffs.
Etymology
''Ka wai kini'' literally translates to "the multitudinous water" in the
Hawaiian language
Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...
, referring to the island's high rainfall.
See also
*
List of mountain peaks of the United States
This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaksThis article defines a significant summit as a summit with at least of topographic prominence, and a major summit as a summit with at least of topographic prominence. All su ...
**
***List of mountain peaks of Hawaii
*List of Ultras of Oceania
*List of Ultras of the United States
*Hawaii hotspot
*Evolution of Hawaiian volcanoes
*Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain
References
External links
"Kawaikini, Hawaii" on Peakbagger
{{US prominent
Mountains of Hawaii
Landforms of Kauai