Artworks in wood at L Zeidman Gallery, North Kohala.

North Kohala

Where the winds scream out of the Pacific, bending the tall grass into stiff yellow prairies that drop to a frothy ocean held adjacent to a black lava rock coastline – there, friend, you've reached North Kohala, and North Kohala is a world unto itself. This is the birthplace of Kamehameha, 'The Lonely One,' a fitting nickname given the austerity of this landscape, which in some ways is utterly removed from the clichéd lush garden image you may have of the Hawaiian Islands. This applies to the west side of North Kohala, anyway; drive east and the rains lash out with the winds, greening the hills until one reaches the fertile jungle cleft of the Pololu Valley. The distinctive nature of the landscape and the population here give North Kohala an undeniable sense of place, and locals have an enormous well of pride in this windswept corner of the Big Island.


Attractions

Must-see attractions

Guidebooks

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