Waikolu Lookout

A road leads off from the right of road 460 and passes behind Umipaa. Best tackled with a four-wheel drive vehicle (and then only in dry weather), it leads to Waikolu Lookout. The view down into the deep and impenetrable Waikolu Valley is unique. Just before the lookout, a large hollow is passed. This "Sandalwood Hole" was used to measure the right amount of wood with which to load ships. The hole was filled with sandalwood and its contents could then be transported on to ships. At the beginning of the 19th c. the fragrant sandalwood was a valuable export to China. Shameless deforestation quickly led to the decline of this trade and today sandalwood trees can only be found occasionally on the Hawaiian islands.