Hiilawe Falls (Hi'ilawe Falls)

Hiilawe Falls (or Hi'ilawe Falls) was one of those waterfalls where it seemed it had a reputation that it can no longer live up to.

What I mean by this is that it was once one of the tallest and mightiest waterfalls in all the islands of

Even though Waipi'o Valley (by the way, "Waipi'o" apparently means "curving water") is supposed to get over 80 inches of rain per year, I suspect the reason for this is the presence of the Hamakua Ditch, which apparently diverts the flow of the water to support cultivation (e.g. taro, banana, and coconut I believe) as well as for flood control. That as well as other smaller ditches further upstream of Waipi'o Valley seemed to have robbed this falls (and other waterfalls in the valley) of their water. Bottom line is that this falls is probably not worth the trouble of going down into Waipi'o Valley unless you've managed to time it for during rain (watch out for clouds blocking your view though) or shortly after rain under clearing skies.

There's also a twin waterfall called Hakalaoa Falls, but this one hardly ever flows unless you were here immediately after a rain storm and the clouds haven't blocked your view.

In my research, I realized that the valley has seen its share of turmoil. It was hard to believe that the valley once supported hundreds of residents in addition to being the boyhood home of King Kamehameha (the king credited for unifying the Hawaiian Islands). However, tsunamis (especially a particularly destructive one in 1946) and modern life beckoning above the valley has reduced the population here to about 50 or so residents apparently disconnected from the power grid (not sure if that's true as I've seen lines in the valley).

Anyways, we managed to visit Hiilawe Falls both by independently walking into Waipi'o Valley as well as doing a horseback riding tour as well. The 1/4-mile walk down the Waipi'o Valley Road from Waipi'o Valley Lookout to the valley itself was fairly straightforward going down, but was a real ass kicker on the way back up. Even though the road was paved, 4wd vehicles would still be required in low gear for both the descent as well as the climb. From what I understand, locals don't like tourists driving down (it's mostly private property down there apparently), and there were even locals at the Waipi'o Lookout making sure no tourist foolishly drove down in a passenger vehicle.

Once we made it to the bottom of the road, we proceeded to walk further into the valley past the junction until we got a view of Hiilawe Falls. I understand that any further progress beyond the falls would constitute trespassing so we never went beyond the photos of the falls you see on this page. Sure there have been people who managed to get right to the base of the falls, but again, I understand that area was private so we didn't bother.

As mentioned earlier on the page, if you want to go into Waipi'o Valley, you'll need to walk (make sure you've brought plenty of water, snacks, and allowed yourself plenty of time - like 3 or more hours). That road isn't easy!

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Waipi'o Valley under overcast conditions

The picture doesn't do it justice, but this is where the road gets really steep

Hiilawe Falls can be dry even in March

Morning isn't the best time to photograph Hiilawe Falls apparently

The climb up seemed like it went on forever

Grooves in the road seem to help with the traction even for people walking (it can get quite slippery here)!

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TRIP REPORTS

• March 11, 2007
• February 23, 2008

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Kaluahine Falls
• Waiulili Falls
• Other Big Island Waterfalls

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