Olowalu Petroglyphs

Olowalu Petroglyphs, also called Puʻu Kilea, is a cultural rock-art site on a basalt cliff in Olowalu Valley. About 100 carvings mark the face of the wall. Hawaiʻi’s land agency estimates they’re more than 300 years old.

Current public access and parking aren’t clearly established. Older directions describe a short dirt walk from near Olowalu General Store, but recent accounts conflict about private-road and locals-only signs. Don’t follow GPS onto a signed private lane or assume nearby parking is public. Go only if you can identify a clearly public approach; otherwise, skip this stop.

The carvings are viewed from below, and some lines are faint against the dark rock. Take time to scan across the wall; a phone’s zoom can help you pick out details. Softer morning light may make the figures easier to see than midday glare. Frame the carved panels against the surrounding cliff for scale, and stay at the public viewing area.

The kiʻi pōhaku, or “images in stone,” include human and animal forms, canoes and sails. They’re believed to relate to early Hawaiian stories, but the meaning of individual figures isn’t known. It’s more rewarding to notice the shapes than to assign each one a story the evidence can’t confirm.

A wooden stairway and viewing platform built in the 1960s once brought visitors closer to the rock art. The structure was later removed after repeated vandalism. Today the carvings are seen from below, so don’t climb toward or touch them; the basalt panels are a fragile cultural record.