Nestled between Mauna Kea and Kohala mountains, Waipi?o is the largest of seven valleys along the isolated northeastern coast of Hawai?i island. Waipi’o translates to waters curved, arched, or bent. Carved out over millennia by water, wind and surf, perennial streams and waterfalls abound in this breathtaking valley. Beginning at the striking 3,000 foot cliffs, five main tributaries meander along the valley floor eventually reaching the ocean as one. The ever flowing fresh waters, alluvial soils, abundant fishing grounds, natural fortification and resource rich cliff tops made Waipi’o an ideal place for the first Polynesian voyagers to call home.
These first settlers thrived as their crops brought by canoe took root in the valley’s rich soil. Waipi?o became an abounding cultural landscape with terraced field systems of lo’i kalo (taro patches) and many fishponds. Hawaiians lovingly cultivated the ??ina (land) into one expansive garden that provided their everyday needs. This consistent food security as well as limited accessibility by canoe or steep descent from the cliffs above created a naturally fortified kingdom, a readily defendable and ideal political center for the ruling Ali?i (Chiefs). Famous Ali?i of Waipi?o included Liloa and his son Umi; both were able to unify the
