Holei Sea Arch

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park


Constantly brutalized by unrelenting surf, the coastal section of Chain of Craters Road has sharply eroded lava-rock pali (cliffs). Visible from near the road's end, this ephemeral high rock arch is a dramatic landmark carved by crashing waves; the same waves that will destroy it entirely within a few hundred years. Go now.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park attractions

1. End of the Road

0.05 MILES

Sort of. The road ends where the lava says it ends, having consumed this coastal section of Chain of Craters Road repeatedly since 1969. Currently there…

2. Puʻu Loa Petroglyphs

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The gentle, 1.3-mile round-trip to Puʻu Loa (roughly, 'hill of long life') leads to one of Hawaiʻi's largest concentrations of ancient petroglyphs, some…

3. Kealakomo

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About halfway along Chain of Craters Road is this coastal lookout (elevation 2000ft), with picnic tables and commanding views. That inky black snake's…

4. Old Pulu Factory

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5. Puʻu ʻOʻo

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Puʻu ʻOʻo vent saw the longest-lasting and most voluminous of the Kilauea's eruptions, oozing an estimated 80 to 160 million gallons of lava per day, or…

6. Makaopuhi Crater

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This jaw-dropping, mile-long crater is the largest in the East Rift Zone. Although once accessible by road, it's now 5 miles along the Napau Crater Trail,…

7. ʻAlae Lava Shield

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The once-awesome ʻAlae crater did not go easily. The Mauna Ulu eruption had just filled the 1440ft-wide and 540ft-deep crater with a lake of molten lava…

8. Mauna Ulu

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In 1969, eruptions from Kilauea's East Rift Zone began building a new lava shield, Mauna Ulu (Growing Mountain). By the time the flow stopped in 1974, it…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
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      "url": "usa/hawaii/hawai-i-volcanoes-national-park/attractions/holei-sea-arch/a/poi-sig/1302545/1333405",
      "destination": "Hawaiʻi-Volcanoes-National-Park",
      "continent": "North-America",
      "country": "USA",
      "region": "Hawaiʻi-Volcanoes-National-Park",
      "position": "superzone"
    }