Luahiwa Petroglyphs

The black Luahiwa rocks are difficult to reach. Follow Road 440 (Manele Road) from Lanai City in a southerly direction to Hoike Road, a gravel road.

Pass two moats and, after the second, turn left and continue along the right-hand side of the moat as far as a water pipe. Continue along this conduit to the third electricity mast (bearing a "No Trespassing" sign) and then turn left. The black rocks become visible from here. This part of the route is quite bumpy. Of the many rock drawings to be seen on Lanai, those at Luahiwa are not the most extensive but they do show nearly all the known forms and symbols - from circles and other symbols to human figures. It is possible to make out kanus, barking dogs, interspersed occasionally with men on horseback. This shows that the Hawaiians were still drawing these pictures after white men discovered Hawaii and introduced horses to the islands. The rock drawings are to be found, almost without exception, on the south-east of the rocks.