On the gentle slopes of the North Kohala Coast, the Moʻokini Luakini Heiau has stood for over 1,500 years as a silent representative of the human aspiration of ancient Hawaiʻians, and of the spiritual commitment to the preservation of Hawaiʻian culture. This sacred site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963, the very first in the State of Hawaiʻi.
The heiau (temple) measures roughly 250 feet by 125 feet, nearly the size of a football field. The wall stand 30 feet high in some places and were constructed entirely without mortar. The lichen-covered basalt rocks from Pololu Valley were carried 14 miles via a human chain from hand to hand. It was completed in a single night from sunset to sunrise.