Kapaau is known as the birthplace of King Kamehameha I as was that of the Hawaiian monarchy. Nowadays a sleepy village with about 600 inhabitants, near to the northern point of Big Island and reached by road 270, Kapaau's one claim to fame is its original statue of Kamehameha I. Originally destined for Honolulu, it was lost during transportation
It is worth seeing this original statue because it is far more true to life than the copy in Honolulu. Wind and weather take their toll on the statue so once a year, on the evening before Kamehameha Day (June 11th), its is given a fresh coat of paint.
Sugar production once made Hawi (reached via roads 270 or 250 to Kapaau) a prosperous town. Today Hawi serves as an example of the effects of the decline in sugar production in this area. It has become a backwater with its abandoned Kohala Sugar Company works.
A little further on from Kapaau the road ends at Poiolu Lookout from where the steep-sided Poiolu Valley can easily be viewed.
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