Remote and quintessentially Hawaiian, Kahakuloa Village sits at the base of a tidy valley embraced by sea cliffs standing like sentinels on either side of the bay. Although it contains only a few dozen homes, Kahakuloa (Tall Lord) has two churches.

The little tin-roof Catholic mission sits hillside at the southern end of town, just off the road, and the Protestant church, sporting a green wooden exterior and red-tile roof, hunkers down on the valley floor further north. The town doesn't have any shops, but villagers set up roadside stands selling shave ice, fruit and 'ono (delicious) banana bread.