Nīnole (also spelled Hinole, Ninole, or Ninoli) is the name of two

unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

on 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 ...

Hawaii County 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 state ...

, United States. 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 ...

''Nīnole'' means "bending". Nīnole also has the highest percentage of people of Italian descent in Hawaii.

Kaū

One Nīnole is in the Kaū District south of Route 11 (Hawaii Belt Road) adjacent to the south of

Punaluu Beach Punaluu or Punaluu may refer to: *Punaluu, in Hawaii County, Hawaii *Punaluu, Hawaii Punaluu (pronounced ) is a census-designated place and rural community in the Koolauloa District on the island of Oahu, City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, Un ...

. It was on Nīnole Cove, a small bay at the shore of what is now Sea Mountain Golf Course. The village was the birthplace of Henry Ōpūkahaia (1792–1818) who inspired the missionary movement that forever changed Hawaii. It was mostly destroyed by a

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

after the

1868 Hawaii earthquake The 1868 Hawaii earthquake was the largest recorded in the history of Hawaii island, with an estimated magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). The earthquake occurred at 4 p.m. local time on April 2, 1868 and caused ...

. Its elevation is 85 feet (26 m). Because the community has borne multiple names, the

Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

officially designated it "Nīnole" in 2000.

Hāmākua

The other Nīnole is on the Hāmākua Coast north of

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

along Route 19 (Māmalahoa Highway) south of Pāpaʻaloa and north of Hakalau. It has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

with the ZIP code 96773. It is located at . Retrieved November 8, 2010.

References

Italian-American culture Unincorporated communities in Hawaii County, Hawaii Populated places on Hawaii (island) Unincorporated communities in Hawaii {{Hawaii-geo-stub