Waterfalls in Hawaii

Lucky I live Hawaii, eh brah! That means I am lucky to live in Hawaii, brother - only in pidgin.

Hawaii has more than 200 inches of rainfall in the mountains and 130 inches of rainfall at the coast per year. That's a bunch of rain! One of my favorite sights here in Hawaii is after a heavy rainstorm. Because of the nature of the Ko'olau Mountains near where I live, you can see many waterfalls as the water tries to find its way down to the rivers and ocean.

The closest waterfall to where I live is called Sacred Falls . My own children used to hike up to see them occasionally. The falls were closed when there was a fatal rock fall in 1999 which killed eight hikers on a beautiful Sunday. Now the only way to see it is by helicopter ride. I now know how lucky my kids were to not get killed when they were up there looking at the Sacred Falls. Superstition have it that God was not so happy that the hikers were not in church that day.

The next closest falls to where I live is Waimea Falls. I hiked up there with my father on one of his visits to Hawaii. It was not a difficult hike and well worth the effort. Waimea is a world-class botanical and biological research and propagation facility. There are incredible trees and plants on the way up to the falls, many of which are found nowhere else. Here is a link to more information about Waimea.

Of course, there are many more falls that are more popular to the tourists than those that are nearby our little community.

Here are a few more of the falls you can find in Hawaii:

One of the more famous is Akaka Falls : It even has a song written about it.

You can find the words to the song "Akaka Falls" and the translation here. There is actually a legend about Akaka Falls. It is said that Akaka fell to his death from the 442 foot falls. His two lovers, Lehua and Maile, could not stop crying and now they can be seen in a ravine close by, disguised as two smaller waterfalls.

On the Island of Maui, you can visit many falls, but one of the most gorgeous falls is called the Wailua Falls. The water cascades 80 feet to the Honolewa Stream.

Believe it or not, there are more Wailua Falls, but these are on the island of Kauai. The difference is that these falls drop in double tiers - yes, you will be seeing double. When the sun is shining just right, you can also catch sight of a rainbow. If you have always wanted to swim underneath a waterfall, this is your chance.

I would love to write about all the great waterfalls in Hawaii, but here is a link that will give you more information about them.