Kaluahine Falls

Kaluahine Falls is a waterfall that I'm not so sure should even count as a major waterfall.

Of all the times I've been to Waipi'o Valley, I don't recall ever seeing even a trickle of water where it was supposed to be. Now I've seen this waterfall flow in photographs out in the literature, but I honestly think that photographer either timed it perfectly or photographed it at a time when perhaps water diversion and climate change haven't impacted it as much.

When I was researching for the Hawaii Waterfalls book project, I couldn't believe that this was apparently the shooting location for a scene in Kevin Costner's Waterworld (I haven't seen the movie so I can't verify that claim). Apparently the falls were flowing back then. Definitely not these days as far as my experience goes.

To visit this "waterfall," we had to go down the Waipi'o Valley Road. Our Hi'ilawe Falls page tells you what that's like. But once we got to the bottom of the road, we went right at the fork, which follows a muddy dirt road towards the beach. But just before getting to the dark beach, we went right past a sign onto a faint trail that followed along a narrow rocky track that quickly degenerated into a boulder scramble between the crashing waves on one side and rockfall-prone cliffs on the other. Fortunately, we didn't have to go far (maybe about 1/4-mile) before the vegetation breaks and we were in front of the bare cliff where the falls was supposed to be.

But even though we weren't far from the Waipi'o Valley, we definitely feared the potential for rogue waves threatening to pluck us from the rocks and into the turbulent ocean.

View Larger Map

TRIP REPORTS

• March 11, 2007
• February 23, 2008

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Hi'ilawe Falls
• Waiulili Falls
• Other Big Island Waterfalls

Have You Been To This Waterfall?

Share your experience!

Click here to see visitor comments for this waterfall

Click here to see visitor comments for other waterfalls that we've visited in this region

Click here to go to the Comments Main Page