Kaena Point
Encyclopedia
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. The point can be reached by foot from both the West (Waianae
Wai'anae, Hawai'i
Waianae is a census-designated place in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the CDP population was 10,506.-Geography:Waianae is located at ....
Coast) and the East (Mokulēia) coastlines; walking in from the north side is recommended. An unimproved track extends some 3 miles (4.8 km) along the coast from the end of the paved road on the north side, where a gate prevents entry of all except authorized vehicles.
On the south side, at Kaena State Park, a paved road passes a beach before terminating into an unpaved road. It continues for a few miles, after which the road is washed out, and further travel must be on foot. It is not possible to travel around the point in a vehicle as the route is better described as a "path" in most places, and is lined on one side with a cliff and on the other with basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
rocks which are quite capable of damaging vehicles. The path is completely washed out in one place on the South side of the point and a rope helps hikers traverse the gap.
In Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
, kaena means 'the heat'. The area was named after a brother or cousin of Pele who accompanied her from Kahiki. The State of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
has designated the point as a Natural Area Reserve to protect nesting Nene birds, Laysan Albatrosses and Newell's Shearwaters and the fragile (to vehicular traffic), native strand vegetation still abundant there.
Some ancient Hawaiian folklore states that Kaena Point is the "jumping-off" point for souls leaving this world.
During the winter months, Oahu's North Shore is typically bombarded by large, powerful waves that attract surfers
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
from around the world. It is rumored that Kaena Point typically has waves (up to 15 metres (49.2 ft) in height) larger than those at Waimea Bay, one of Oahu's world-famous surfing locations. This has not been confirmed; however, during the famous "Swell Of The Century" in 1969 and on the day of Greg Noll
Greg Noll
Greg Noll , nicknamed "Da Bull" by Phil Edwards in reference to his physique and way of "charging" down the face of a wave, is an American pioneer of big wave surfing and is also acknowledged as a prominent longboard shaper. Noll was a member of a US lifeguard team that introduced malibu boards to...
's famous wave at Mākaha, Greg himself took a picture of a gigantic wave breaking at Kaena Point. Until "Biggest Wednesday" on 28 January 1998, when professional surfer Ken Bradshaw
Ken Bradshaw
Ken Bradshaw is an American professional surfer and winner of the 1982 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship....
was photographed riding a wave with a reported 85 feet (25.9 m) face, it was believed that Noll's picture showed the largest wave ever photographed. During that famous swell in January 1998, several persons reported seeing waves with 60–80 ft (18.3–24.4 m) faces at Kaena Point.
Despite these reports, Kaena Point does not have the popularity with surfers of other North Shore locations. Kaena Point is located in a very remote area with no direct paved road access and no rescue capabilities. Additionally, the Point's geography results in undertows
Undertow (wave action)
Undertow is a subsurface flow of water returning seaward from shore as result of wave action. This type of shore current can play a role in material deposition such as creating sand bars....
, dangerous rip current
Rip current
A rip current, commonly referred to by the misnomer rip tide, is a strong channel of water flowing seaward from near the shore, typically through the surf line. Typical flow is at 0.5 metres per second , and can be as fast as 2.5 metres per second...
s and other hazardous ocean conditions that make any water activity highly dangerous.