Lanai's legendary rock "garden"
More than one Hawaiian legend tells of the origin of Keahiakawelo, one of the most popular destinations for visitors to Lanai. It's more widely known in English as "Garden of the Gods," but both names evoke the spiritual element of this otherworldly place, where erosion has left multihued lava boulders and rocks in striking formations.
Jeanne Cooper
The scattered rocks of Keahiakawelo, the "Garden of the Gods," rest high above the channel between Lanai and Molokai.
Jeanne Cooper
The colors of Keahiakawelo's rocks bear closer inspection.
Jeanne Cooper
Since Keahiakawelo is considered a cultural treasure, stacking or moving rocks is prohibited.
In the legend cited by the official Hawaii tourism site, a Lanai kahuna (priest) named Kawelo was promised abundance for his people if he could keep a fire (ahi) burning longer than a rival kahuna on Molokai. By gathering all the vegetation in the area, he succeeded, thus giving the sere landscape of Keahiakawelo ("the fire of Kawelo") its name.
A variant of the story says Kawelo's shrine was the largest in the area dedicated to Kāne, considered the leading of the four major gods in the ancient Hawaiian pantheon. Kawelo kept the fire burning as he offered prayers on behalf of Lanai's people, shielding them from the evil intent of a kahuna on Molokai. The people flourished because his prayers were so strong. (Mahalo to the Four Seasons, Lāna'i for sharing that version.)
The surroundings are called Kānepu'u, "Kane's mountain," but are not as barren as the first telling of Keahiakawelo's origin would suggest. The adjacent Kānepu'u Preserve is a 590-acre tropical dryland forest, the last such in Lanai, with some 48 native species, including lama (a kind of ebony), olopua and 'aiea trees. (One type of 'aiea was traditionally used for fire making -- convenient for Kawelo, no?) The Nature Conservancy now helps protect the area, which is open for self-guided hikes.
Still, "garden" seems a stretch for naming purposes. However, one story goes that the rocks fell from the skies as the gods were tending to their gardening, resulting in stacks and other eye-catching arrangements. And the colors in the rocks do seem to bloom as sunset approaches -- a great time to visit, as long as you leave enough time to drive (or mountain bike) the long bumpy road back to the main roadway (Lana'i City is seven miles away.)
Whichever origin story you prefer, Keahiakawelo is a wahi pana, a sacred or celebrated site, meaning nothing should be taken from or disturbed here. Let erosion continue to be the artist here.
In Hawaii Insider's Aug. 16 Sunday Quiz, I showed two photos of the site and asked readers to identify its location and names in Hawaiian and English. Susan Baranowski of San Francisco e-mailed that Keahiakawelo is one of her and her husband's favorite places, recalling a special encounter the last time they visited:
We were first away from the rental company and I think the first in the park for the morning. We had the great joy of seeing a large male Mouflon [sheep] scurry across a valley. He ran, stopped and turned back to look at us. We had stopped the car to watch and I had the chance to take a few photos. He crested the hill and it was a great thrill for us.
Nicole Whiting of Berkeley also has fond memories of a visit by bicycle:
A couple of years ago, in my quest to visit every Hawaiian island, my husband and I took the commuter ferry from Maiu to Lanai. We opted to stay at Hotel Lanai, in Lanai City, and the only hotel on the island other than the two mega-hotels. The owner let us take some of the hotel's bikes and we biked down to the garden. We were the only ones there, and we had a great view of Molokai. The colors were incredible.
Finally, Heather Hay of San Francisco sent the photo below of her husband, Duncan, "doing a little dance" at the site during their vacation there last year. "This picture always tickles me. Lanai is truly an amazing place and I hope to go back there again," she wrote.
Heather Hay
A visit to Keahiakawelo can be a moving experience, as Heather Hay's husband discovered.
Jeanne Cooper
How you know that you've arrived at Keahiakawelo.
All three women will receive a small Hawaii-themed prize as a mahalo for reading Hawaii Insider and answering the Sunday Quiz correctly. Check back next week for another opportunity to play the game.
Jeanne Cooper
Visitors to Keahiakawelo are fascinated by its picturesque arrays of volcanic rocks.
| August 18 2009 at 09:30 AM
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