Ka Lae (South Point)

Located in the southern cliffs of Hawaii Island in the Kau region, Ka Lae is also known as South Point. It is believed that the first Polynesians to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands disembarked here at Ka Lae somewhere between 400 and 800 A.D. With the ruins of heiau (temples), fishing shrines and other cultural vestiges found here its no wonder why this entire southern tip has been registered as a National Historical Landmark.

The offshore currents and winds are notoriously powerful here and mariners from the first Polynesians to today’s locals have devised clever ways of plying the rich fishing grounds without being swept away. For instance, you’ll find rock loops carved through the lava here that tied off fishing canoes hundreds of years ago.

To get to this rocky shoreline you need to take the narrow South Point Road 12-miles through open ranch lands lined with white windmills. There is a small heiau (sacred place of worship) near Ka Lae so visitors should treat the area with great respect.