Lawaʻi International Center


Open for occasional tours, this sublimely peaceful site once held a Hawaiian heiau (temple). In 1904, however, Japanese immigrants placed 88 miniature Shingon Buddhist shrines along a steep hillside path here, symbolizing the pilgrimage shrines of Shikoku, Japan. Since the 1980s, the shrines have been beautifully restored, and a wonderful wooden temple added, the Hall of Compassion. Leisurely tours include a trail walk that amounts to a mini-pilgrimage. All welcome.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Kukuiolono Park

1.28 MILES

You’re only likely to visit this little park if you’re staying in Kalaheo. It’s worth a quick stop, though, to stroll through its fascinating Hawaiian…

2. Allerton Garden

2.84 MILES

An extraordinary tour of this garden, part of the multisite National Tropical Botanical Garden, wanders deep into Lawaʻi Valley. Robert Allerton, a…

3. National Tropical Botanical Garden

2.85 MILES

Two superb gardens in lush Lawa‘i Valley, run by the National Tropical Botanical Garden, are open to visitors. Allerton Garden, spreading back from a…

4. McBryde Garden

2.86 MILES

Part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, this gorgeous garden showcases palms, flowering and spice trees, orchids and rare endemic species, plus a…

5. Spouting Horn Park

2.96 MILES

The surf jets through like a mini-geyser through these two blowholes in the lava-rock reef. The spurts are typically less than 30ft and last only seconds,…

6. Tree Tunnel

2.97 MILES

If driving from Lihu'e, take Maluhia Rd (Hwy 520) to navigate under the fairy-tale Tree Tunnel, a mile-long canopy of towering swamp mahogany trees (a…

7. Sugar Monument (Old Mill)

3.15 MILES

Hawaii’s sugar industry, once the largest element in the islands’ economy, started with the construction of the first mill in Koloa in 1835. This memorial…

8. Kukuiʻula Small Boat Harbor

3.15 MILES

With its pavilion and camp tables, Poʻipu’s small commercial harbor is not a bad place for a picnic. Walk the jetty, check out the scuba boats and even…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "usa/hawaii/kalaheo/attractions/lawa-i-international-center/a/poi-sig/1302306/1333511",
      "position": "superzone"
    }