Kohala, Hawaii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kohala is the name of two districts — North Kohala and South Kohala — on the northwest portion of the island of Hawai‘i in the Hawaiian Archipelago. The name, when used singularly by locals, refers to the area surrounding the towns of Hāwī and Kapa‘au.

King Kamehameha I, the first King of Hawai‘i, was born off the coast of Kohala. The original Kamehameha Statue stands in front of the community centre in Kapa‘au. A more famous replica of the statue stands in front of Ali‘iolani Hale in Honolulu (see Kamehameha Statue).

Kohala can also refer to the Kohala Mountains, the oldest of Hawai‘i Island's five volcanic mountains.