E Hele Mau
To Walk On - Ancient Trails of Justice and Compassion
Written by a Cultural Expert
Leilani AkoE Hele Mau - To Walk On
The trails of Kaloko-Honokōhau are more than just paths through a park—they are the ancient arteries of a community. To walk them is to trace the footsteps of fishermen heading to the sea, families moving between their homes and gardens, and chiefs traveling along the coast. The park contains a network of trails, including a large 4-mile loop from the visitor center that allows you to experience nearly all the major sites.
Two of these trails carry immense historical weight. The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is a 175-mile coastal corridor that passes through the park, linking countless cultural sites along the island's coast. As you walk the sections within the park, you are part of a much larger journey that has been traveled for centuries.
To walk these trails is to trace the footsteps of fishermen heading to the sea, families moving between their homes and gardens, and chiefs traveling along the coast. You are part of a journey that has been traveled for centuries.
The King's Trail: Built on Justice
Even more deep is the Mamalahoa Trail, also known as the King's Trail. As you walk its remarkably straight sections, know that you are walking on a principle. This trail, built in the mid-19th century for horse and cart travel, is named for one of the most significant laws in Hawaiian history: Ke Kānāwai Māmalahoe, the Law of the Splintered Paddle.
The story goes that in 1783, before he was king of all the islands, Kamehameha I was pursuing his enemies on this coast when his foot got stuck in a lava crevice. A fisherman, fearing for his family's safety, struck Kamehameha on the head with his canoe paddle, which splintered from the force. Years later, as a powerful ruler, Kamehameha reflected on this moment. He understood that the strong must not mistreat the weak.
He proclaimed the Law of the Splintered Paddle, a decree that guaranteed that every person, especially the elderly, women, and children, could travel and lie down to rest by the roadside in safety. This law was not just about a trail—it was a foundation of justice and compassion for his kingdom, a law so important it is now enshrined in the Hawaiʻi State Constitution. This trail wasn’t just built of stone—it was built on a foundation of aloha.
🥾 Ala Mauka-Makai Trail
Distance: 0.7 miles | Difficulty: Easy
From Visitor Center to coast, passing Petroglyph Boardwalk. The path from today's world to the world of ancestors.
🌊 Coastal Ala Kahakai Trail
Distance: 1.6 miles | Difficulty: Easy-Intermediate
Passes beach, fishtrap, heiau, and fishponds. Walk where fishermen brought their catch to sacred places.
🏗️ Ala Nui Kaloko Trail
Distance: 0.8 miles | Difficulty: Easy
From Kaloko Road to massive fishpond seawall. Witness the monumental engineering of the kuapā.
👑 Mamalahoa Trail
Distance: 1.1 miles | Difficulty: Easy
Historic "King's Trail" built on Kamehameha's principle of compassion and safe passage for all.
The Spirit Endures
As your journey through Kaloko-Honokōhau comes to an end, you carry with you the enduring spirit of this sacred place.
Return to Beginning🥾 Trail Quick Facts
- Total Network: 4-mile loop
- Longest Trail: Ala Kahakai 1.6mi
- Surface: Lava rock, sand
- Best Time: Early morning
📜 Historical Significance
- Ala Kahakai: 175-mile coastal corridor
- King's Trail: Built on compassion law
- Community paths: Connected daily life
📖 Navigate This Guide
← Wildlife & Conservation
Honu & endangered species
Trails & Exploration
Return to Beginning Current page - Final chapter
Start your journey again
Exploring Kona and Beyond
I know that for many who visit our beautiful islands, the journey often includes hopping between them. Your exploration of Hawaiian history and culture, or your thirst for adventure, doesn't have to end here on the Kona coast. If your travels take you to the island of Oʻahu, here are two very different experiences that hold their own powerful stories.
For the Thrill-Seeker: Coral Crater Adventure Park
If you're looking for a jolt of adrenaline, Coral Crater Adventure Park in West Oʻahu is a 35-acre playground for all ages. It offers a wide array of activities, from a full course of six ziplines that send you soaring through the jungle to off-road ATV adventures that let you kick up some dirt.
For the History Buff: Pearl Harbor
A visit to Pearl Harbor is a journey into a pivotal moment in world history. It is a place of solemn remembrance for the events of December 7, 1941, when the attack on the US naval base brought the United States into World War II.
The Spirit Endures
As your walk through Kaloko-Honokōhau comes to an end, I hope you leave with more than just photographs and tired feet. I hope you leave with a feeling. A sense of the enduring spirit that the kūpuna fought so hard to protect. This place is what we call a "cultural kīpuka"—an oasis of ancient culture and knowledge that has survived, like a forest on an old lava flow, while the world changed around it.
The settlement here thrived because the people understood the spirit of the land and did not disturb it. They worked with its rhythms, respected its power, and lived as its servants, not its masters. That spirit is not a relic of a dead past—it is alive. It is in the lapping of the water against the fishpond walls, in the rustle of the wind through the native ʻilima flowers, and in the silent, watchful gaze of a honu on the shore. It is perpetuated by the Native Hawaiian practitioners who continue to connect with this land and by the community members who still fight to protect its sacred waters.
You came here and walked these trails. You listened to the stories in the stones and felt the spray from the sea. Now, you carry a piece of this wahi pana with you. The spirit of Kaloko-Honokōhau endures not just in the rocks and the water, but in all who leave with a deeper understanding and a renewed commitment to mālama ʻāina, wherever they may be. The kuleana is now shared.
Aloha.
Share This Sacred Journey
Help others discover the enduring spirit of Kaloko-Honokōhau and learn to walk with respect on these sacred lands.
