All About Kahoolawe in Hawaii
Here's a helpful factsheet about the island of Kahoolawe in Hawaii to help you plan and enjoy your trip to Hawaii. If you'd like to add something to this list, e-mail us.
The official color of Kaho'olawe is gray. Kahoolawe's flower is the Hinahina (Beach Heliotrope).
The tiniest of the Hawaiian islands, Kahoolawe is dry, windblown and uninhabited. Before the introduction of western technology, the soil of Kahoolawe was covered with thick vegetation. However, when westerners introduced goats and other grazing animals to the island, the protective layer of vegetation disappered, leaving the island's soil entirely exposed to the Pacific winds. It is estimated that approximately 2 million tons of soil a year is blown off the island.
Kahoolawe is the smallest of the Hawaiian islands with a surface area of only 45 square miles. It's eastern end is dominated by Lua Makika, which, at 1477 feet (450 meters) is the highest point on the island.
Visits to Kahoolawe are highly restricted, and an unsupervised visit could prove extremely hazardous. Artillery shells and explosives from Kahoolawe's days as a target still litter the landscape, many of which are still unexploded. Contact with such an unexploded shell would be quite undesirable.
In recent years, grazing animals have been removed from the island, and its protective layer of vegetation is slowly making its presence known again. In many years, Kahoolawe should be the island it once was.
Coming unauthorized within two miles of Kahoolawe is highly prohibited. However, visits can be arranged.