Nā Mokulua, or just Mokulua (meaning, in Hawaiian, "the two islands") are two

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

s off the

windward Windward () and leeward () are terms used to describe the direction of the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e. towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point of reference ...

coast of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

in the Hawaiian Islands. The islets are often photographed and are located about 0.75 miles off Kaʻōhao (Lanikai), a neighborhood of

Kailua Kailua () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. It lies in the Koolaupoko District of the island of Oahu on the windward coast at Kailua Bay. It is in the judicial district and the ahupua'a named Ko'ol ...

Hawai‘i 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 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 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