Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The first such lookout if starting from Cemetery Road is the
Koloiki Ridge
about 2.5
miles into the trail. A small red and white sign on the left side of the trail points the way to
the ridge, and after a brief quarter mile jaunt you are rewarded with grandiose views peer-
ing back into Maunalei Gulch and out to the islands of Maui and Moloka'i. This lookout
is also accessible as part of the
Koloiki Ridge Trail
hike which departs from behind the
Lodge at Koele.
Back on the main trail you'll continue for a couple miles beneath a shroud of forest
until you pass some communication towers. Just past the towers is
Ho'okio Gulch,
a place
of historical significance that forever transformed the island of Lana'i. In 1778, Kahekili,
ruler of Lana'i and Maui, was besieged by Kalaniopu'u, a powerful chief from the Big Is-
land whose army featured a fearless young warrior by the name of Kamehameha. In the
battle at Ho'okio, Kahekili and his warriors attempted to defend the island from the invad-
ing warriors by slinging stones down from the hilltop and hiding in crevasses carved into
the cliff face. Ultimately, however, Kahekili and his men would emerge defeated, and the
ensuing occupation of Lana'i by Kalaniopu'u and his army drove the resource-strapped is-
land into a famine which decimated much of the native population. It's said that the spirits
of those who perished in the battle still reside in the cool forests and keep watch over the
eroded gulches and canyons.