Keāhole Point is the westernmost point of the island of

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 ...

. The

Kona International Airport Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole is the busiest airport on the Island of Hawaii. It is located in Kalaoa CDP, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, near the town of Kailua-Kona. The airport serves leeward (western) Hawai ...

was moved here from directly north of the town of

Kailua-Kona Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it shares ...

in 1970, when the previous smaller airstrip was converted into the

Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area (known locally as Old A) is a park built on the site of an old landing strip just north of Kailua, Hawaii County, Hawaii. History During World War II, a small landing strip was cleared near the end of Kuakini ...

. The name comes from ''Ke āhole'' since the āhole fish (

Kuhlia sandvicensis ''Kuhlia sandvicensis'', the reticulated flagtail, zebra-headed flagtail or Hawaiian flagtail, is a species of ray-finned fish, a flagtail from the family Kuhliidae which is found in the central Pacific Ocean. It is popular as a game fish and can ...

) was found nearby. Between the airport and the coast lies the

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (''NELHA'') administers the Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park (HOST Park). ''NELHA'' was founded in 1974. At , HOST Park is a state-subsidized industrial park for incubator and marginal comm ...

. Most of the land was formed in 1801 by the ''Huehue'' lava flow from

Hualālai Hualālai (pronounced in Hawaiian) is an active volcano on the island of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the westernmost, third-youngest and the third-most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii, following Kīlauea a ...

. This flow extended the shoreline out an estimated 1 mile, adding some 4 km² of land to the island. The southern part of this point is sometimes referred to as Kalihi Point. The Ahupuaa (ancient name of the community in this area) was Kalaoa, still used by the census. The site includes a house platform, a walled enclosure, a debris pile with volcanic glass and marine shells, and a larger wall. Probably the home of a common family, an excavation in 1975 estimated occupation from about 1500 to 1800. On January 14, 1989, the Kalaoa Permanent House Site was put on the state register of historic places as site number 10-27-10,205. On November 21, 1992, it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as site number 92001552. It was described as site 81 in a 1930 survey by Reinecke, and site 8 in a 1975 survey by Rosendahl & Kirch,Paul H. Rosendahl, ''Archaeological reconnaissance survey of the Keahole Point Natural Energy Laboratory site, North Kona, Hawaii'' and site HA-D15-12 on a state survey. Just south of this area is the area known as Ooma.

References

Headlands of Hawaii Landforms of Hawaii (island) Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Archaeological sites in Hawaii Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Buildings and structures in Hawaii County, Hawaii Beaches of Hawaii (island) National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii County, Hawaii {{Hawaii-geo-stub