Nā Mokulua, or just Mokulua (meaning, in Hawaiian, "the two islands") are two islets off the windward coast of Oahu in the

Hawaiian Islands 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 Kur ...

. The islets are often photographed and are located about 0.75 miles off Kaʻōhao (Lanikai), a neighborhood of Kailua, Hawai‘i. The larger island (on the left when looking from Lanikai) is referred to as ''Moku Nui'' and the smaller is ''Moku Iki,'' which translates literally to ''big island'' and ''small island.'' Some Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners note that there was likely a non-generic name given to the islands that have since been lost because neither ''Moku Nui'' nor ''Moku Iki'' are listed in Hawaiian-print newspapers or older maps of the region. They are part of the Hawaii State Seabird Sanctuary and activities on them as well as off-limit areas on them are regulated by law. Specifically, the smaller islet, Moku Iki, is off-limits to visitors, as is the interior of Moku Nui. Also, no pets are allowed. Many birds nest in ground burrows on the islands. The two islands are composed of many basaltic intrusive igneous dikes, often called a dike swarm. These dikes are a part of the larger Ko'olau shield. Locals surf the breaks on both sides of Moku Nui and spearfish alongside

tiger sharks The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of requiem shark and the last extant member of the family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over . Populations are found in many tropical and tempera ...

where they are known to hang out on the ocean side drop-off. Kayak and outrigger canoe tours to the islands are very popular but laws prohibit deliveries to Kailua or Lanikai Beach. In May 2011, a kayak tourist was swept off the rocks and drowned File:The Moks from Lanikai.JPG, View from Lanikai Beach at daylight File:Canoes in Mokulua.jpg, View of Moku Iki from the beach of Moku Nui File:MokuluaPool.JPG, Ocean cove on the north side of Moku Nui File:Mokulua Bird Sanctuary.jpg, Hawaii State Seabird Sanctuary in Moku Nui File:Na Mokulua.jpg, View from Lanikai Beach at dawn File:The Mokes.jpg, The Mokulua from the coast of Lanikai Beach

References

Islands of Hawaii Geography of Honolulu County, Hawaii {{Hawaii-geo-stub