Waipio Valley

North of the town of Honokaa, Waipio (pronounced why-pee-oh) valley was once the home of kings of old Hawaii, including King Kamehameha the great. This lush, coastal valley is the largest and most spectacular of the series of amphitheater valleys on the windward side of the Kohala Mountains. The valley is an explosion of jungle, flowering plants, taro patches and waterfalls, and a magical place to experience the spirit of the 'old' Hawaii. The valley has one rustic hotel, some 50 residents, a number of wild horses and a few aggressively territorial farm dogs.

Once the home of thousands of Hawai'ians, it was highly cultivated and also a place of great mana, or spiritual power. Here Kamehameha fought for unification of the islands and rested between battles. Other royalty also found retreat in the valley and many were buried here.

Many movies have been filmed here, including Waterworld, for which many of our Jack's crew acted as safety and recovery divers on call, with Kawika Leicher spending over a year as a Captain and Divemaster behind the scenes.

Waterfalls drop over a thousand feet into the lush valley, a mile wide at the beach. Residents continue to grow taro and other crops here, and the valley remains a magical place. Hiking is abundant for the adventurous. If you want to go exploring in the valley, don't make the trip in your rental car! It is enclosed by near-vertical 2000-ft (600m) high cliffs and is accessible only by a narrow, excessively-steep 4WD track. Arrange for tours by 4-wheel drive vehicle or horseback (check out the cars that tried to make it rusting at the bottom of the cliff). You can also walk down (don't forget you'll have to walk back up!).