Kalalea Heiau

Hawaiʻi the Big Island


Testament to the area's important fishing grounds, this ancient temple and shrine is where Hawaiians left offerings in return for a bountiful catch. Some still do today, although their angling methods have changed. Look for salt pans in the area: depressions carved in the rocks where fishermen would evaporate ocean water then use the remaining salt to cure their catch.

Enterprising early fishermen would tie their canoes to the nearby rocks pocked with mooring holes and slowly play out the rope so they could access the strong offshore currents that bring ʻahi (yellowfin tuna) and then pull themselves back home. Modern fishermen are more likely to stay on shore, their lines carried out to sea tied to plastic bags dancing in the fierce winds.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Hawaiʻi the Big Island attractions

1. Ka Lae

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Ka Lae, the southernmost point of the Big Island, feels palpably unwelcoming, yet hauntingly peaceful. It is mostly an empty grassland fringed by restless…

2. Boat Hoist

0.18 MILES

Bolted to the top of the 40ft cliffs on the western edge of South Point, a boat hoist provides access to small fishing vessels bobbing in the sheltered…

3. Lua ʻO Palehemo

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An old saying goes: 'If you have seen all Kaʻu, but have not seen Palehemo, you have not seen Kaʻu.' This is likely less about the brackish historic…

4. Morse Field

0.92 MILES

The landing strip of Morse Field was a fuel stop for a trans-Pacific air ferry route until the attack on Pearl Harbor, after which the army tilled it up…

5. Pakini Nui Wind Farm

1.53 MILES

Fourteen turbines operated by Tawhiri Power LLC harvest the South Point winds to power approximate 18,000 homes.

6. Green Sand Beach

2.86 MILES

This legendary beach on Mahana Bay isn't really that green, but it is a rare and beautiful sight. Its color comes from crystals of olivine, the mineral…

7. Kamaoa Wind Farm

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The rusty carcasses of 37 windmills from the failed Kamaoa wind farm lie next to their foundations along South Point Rd.

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      "url": "usa/hawaii/south-point-ka-lae/attractions/kalalea-heiau/a/poi-sig/1418138/1333401",
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      "continent": "North-America",
      "country": "USA",
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