Know before you go
The best-marked miles on the whole trail.
From Puʻukoholā Heiau the Nā Ala Hele Ala Kahakai Trail runs 15.4 miles south along the Kohala coast to ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay, threading beach parks, resort shorelines, anchialine ponds and the Puakō petroglyph field. Only the Spencer-to-Puakō stretch is signed. Walk it in pieces, early.
Access
- Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site: 8:30–4:30 daily, parking gate closes at 4:00, free. Visitor center, water, restrooms; a 0.5-mile loop past Mailekini Heiau and Pelekane. The state trail begins at the park's southern boundary.
- Spencer Beach Park (ʻOhaiʻula), off Highway 270: parking, showers, restrooms, camping by county permit. The northern trailhead.
- Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area, Highway 19: parking, restrooms, water; non-resident parking and entry fees.
- Puakō Boat Ramp, Holoholokai Beach Park (Mālama Trail to the petroglyphs), Mauna Lani and Waikoloa resort public-access lots: parking, limited.
Distance & terrain
15.4 miles one way, moderate, mostly level with about 30 feet of gain (DLNR). Approximate legs: Spencer to Hāpuna 2.5 miles, Hāpuna to the Puakō boat ramp 2.5, Puakō to Holoholokai 2, Holoholokai to the Mauna Lani fishponds 1.5, Mauna Lani to ʻAnaehoʻomalu about 4.
Water
At Spencer, Hāpuna and the resort beach parks; none between them.
Hazards
- Sea cliffs south of Puakō; short sections eroded by waves.
- No shade between the beach parks; kiawe thorns puncture soft soles.
- Winter north-west swell puts the wave-cut shelves under water.
Respect
Puakō petroglyphs: stay on the boardwalk, no rubbings. The anchialine ponds along the resort shore carry the state's highest protection; do not enter them. Puʻukoholā is a luakini heiau; the platform is closed to visitors.
Official: DLNR · Ala Kahakai Trail (Kawaihae to ʻAnaehoʻomalu) · NPS · Puʻukoholā Heiau · The full planning guide →
Mauka · slope
The dry slope below the Kohala Mountains.
Kawaihae's upper reaches climb into the leeward shadow of the Kohala range. The land is dry, the wind constant — a setting that shaped how the ahupuaʻa was used: pastoral above, fishing below, ceremony at the threshold between.
Mid · the war temple
Puʻukoholā Heiau and the prophecy of unification.
In 1790, the kahuna Kapoukahi told Kamehameha that to unite all the Hawaiian islands under one rule, he would need to build a great luakini on the hill of Puʻukoholā. Construction took roughly a year, with stones passed hand-to-hand from Pololū Valley some twenty miles to the north.
By 1810, Kamehameha had brought every island under his authority. The temple still stands.
Open this section in the map →Coast · the harbor
Mailekini Heiau and the working shore.
Just below Puʻukoholā sits Mailekini Heiau, an older temple that Kamehameha repurposed as a coastal fort. The coast here was a working harbor — canoe landings, fishing, and the launch point for the unification campaigns.
Stand here · 360°
From the heiau to the petroglyph field.
Ten viewpoints in trail order along the Kohala coast section. Tap a viewpoint to load it and look around.
Conditions at the shore · live
Reef · sanctuary
The sanctuary boundary turns south here.
From Kawaihae the Humpback Whale Sanctuary follows the Big Island coast all the way to Kaʻū. The reef shelf is narrow — clear water and quick depth.
Ocean · kai
Whale-watching channel.
The waters off Kawaihae are among the most reliable winter humpback-viewing channels on the leeward coast. Kahuna once read the sea here for omens; today the ridge above the heiau is a publicly accessible overlook.