Kohala, Hawaii
Template:Short description [[image:HawaiiIslandDistrict-NorthKohala.svg|thumb|right|The districts of the Big Island. From Northernmost, clockwise; North Kohala (highlighted), Hāmākua, North Hilo, South Hilo, Puna, [[Kau, Hawaii|KaTemplate:Okinaū]], South Kona, North Kona, and South Kohala]] [[image:HawaiiIslandDistrict-SouthKohala.svg|thumb|right|The districts of the Big Island. From Northernmost, clockwise; North Kohala, Hāmākua, North Hilo, South Hilo, Puna, [[Kau, Hawaii|KaTemplate:Okinaū]], South Kona, North Kona, and South Kohala (highlighted)]]
Kohala (Template:IPA) is the name of the northwest peninsula of the [[Hawaii (island)|island of HawaiTemplate:Okinai]] in the Hawaiian Archipelago. In ancient Hawaii it was often ruled by an independent High Chief called the [[Alii Aimoku of Hawaii|AliTemplate:Okinai Nui]]. In modern times it is divided into two districts of Hawaii County: North Kohala and South Kohala. Locals commonly use the name Kohala to refer to the census-designated places of [[Halaula, Hawaii|HalaTemplate:Okinaula]], Hāwī, and [[Kapaau, Hawaii|KapaTemplate:Okinaau]] collectively. The dry western shore is commonly known as the Kohala Coast, which has golf courses and seaside resorts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Description
The area was named after the dominating geological feature Kohala Mountain,<ref>Template:Gnis</ref> the oldest of HawaiTemplate:Okinai Island's five major volcanic mountains. The current districts cover the north and western sides of the mountain, Template:Coord. It was one of the five ancient divisions of the island called moku.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Kohala's natural habitats range across a wide rainfall gradient in a very short distance, from less than Template:Convert a year on the coast near Kawaihae to more than Template:Convert a year near the summit of Kohala Mountain, a distance of just Template:Convert. Near the coast are remnants of dry forests, and near the summit is a cloud forest, a type of rainforest that obtains some of its moisture from "cloud drip" in addition to precipitation.
This precipitation allowed the northeast coast to be developed into sugarcane plantations, including one founded by Reverend Elias Bond to fund his church and girls' seminary.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
History
Kohala Historical Sites State Monument
The Kohala Historical Sites State Monument includes MoTemplate:Okinaokini Heiau, a National Historic Landmark. King Kamehameha I, the first King of the unified HawaiTemplate:Okinaian Islands, was born in North Kohala west of Hāwī, at the ancient site called the MoTemplate:Okinaokini Heiau. The heiau is a living spiritual temple, and not just an historic artifact of the Hawaiian culture.
The original Kamehameha Statue stands in front of the community center in KapaTemplate:Okinaau, and duplicates are found at [[Aliiolani Hale|AliTemplate:Okinaiolani Hale]] in Honolulu and in the U.S. Capitol building's statue gallery.
Bond Historic District
The Bond Historic District is in the North Kohala District, with structures from the Bond family's 19th-century missionary and homesteading period on the peninsula. The Bond District has three sections:
- Bond Homestead — the Bond House was built in the 1840s by the missionaries and later Kohala landowners Ellen and Elias Bond, and expanded by descendants through c. 1900.
- Kalahikiola Church
- Kohala Seminary
Attractions
Points of interest in Kohala include Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area, [[Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site|PuTemplate:Okinaukoholā Heiau National Historic Site]], and Lapakahi State Historical Park.<ref name="South Kohala Map2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="North Kohala Map2">Template:Cite web</ref>
Transportation
Major thoroughfares in Kohala include Akoni Pule Highway (Hawaii state route 270), which provides access to Pololū Valley.<ref name="North Kohala Map1">Template:Cite web</ref> The Hawaii Belt Road connects the southern end of the Akoni Pule Highway to Kona in the south and Hāmākua to the east. The Kohala Mountain Road (250) provides a link between Waimea and the Kohala CDPs of Halaʻula, Hāwī, and Kapaʻau.
Kohala has two small airports. Upolu Airport is on Upolu Point at the island's northern tip.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Waimea-Kohala Airport is south of Waimea.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Waimea Airport is served commercially by Mokulele Airlines.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Populations of Kohala
North Kohala
Census-designated places of North Kohala
- [[Halaula, Hawaii|HalaTemplate:Okinaula]]
- Hāwī
- [[Kapaau, Hawaii|KapaTemplate:Okinaau]]
South Kohala
Census-designated places of South Kohala
Unincorporated towns of South Kohala
Notable residents
- Auliʻi Cravalho, actress and singer