EVERYTHING WHAT YOU NEEDTO DREAM...
Lanai City
KNOWLEDGE OF Lanai City
In the Ancient Days…
Frothy whitecaps dancing on the shimmering sea gave little clue of the events unfolding in the murky depths fathoms below. Far beneath the ocean floor, heat and pressure built until it no longer could be contained; molten lava spewed along the sandy bottom of the sea. Again and again throughout the eons the volcano relieved its pressure, building layer upon layer of hardened formations that would one day reach and penetrate the ocean's surface. The forces of nature, over an incalculable period of time, completed the gestation and birth of an island that would grow through the centuries to become the sixth largest in the Hawaiian chain.
During its formative years, when the earliest seafaring explorers began to venture onto Hawaiian shores, the island was considered the "home of demons" and given a wide berth. Massive explosions still lit the night sky and smoke belched from the crater. The earliest settlers, who came from the Marquesa Islands more than 2,000 years ago, found new homes on the other islands, staying away from the glowing land mass called Lana'i.
Rock formations of a mysterious, almost alien nature are still to be found in the Garden of the Gods in the north central portion of the island. This isolated red plateau overlooks the Palawai Basin, the floor of the once smoldering volcanic birth mother.
Pre-contact Lana'i
The laws of island society were strict, with wrongdoers punished by death or banishment to Lana'i, the molten home of evil spirits. One day, according to island lore, the son of Chief Kaululuaau committed a crime worthy of the strongest sentence, that is, death. Pleas for mercy were heard and the son was exiled to Lana'i with a mandate to rid the island of its dark inhabitants. Having achieved his goal by sending the vile spirits to Kaho’olawe, he returned home as a hero touting the beauty of the island paradise. So it was that Lana’i became inhabited around 1500 A.D. Throughout the years, the residents of the island lived in relative obscurity. The Luahiwa Petroglyphs and other ancient carvings and ruins are among the only noticeable remnants of the first Polynesian settlers. However, the settlers were also responsible for the lush plant life on the island. They brought sugar cane, banana, elephant ear, bamboo and breadfruit from their home islands. At the height of Lanai’s popularity, King Kamehameha the Great established a summer home on the island so he could partake in the excellent fishing.
Kaunolu Village is a remarkably preserved ancient fishing village and home of Kahekili's Leap, which looms nearly 90 feet above the ocean. Warriors once proved their bravery by diving from the top into the shallow water below. Some of the best-preserved petroglyph carvings can be seen at this village on the south side of Lana'i.
Frothy whitecaps dancing on the shimmering sea gave little clue of the events unfolding in the murky depths fathoms below. Far beneath the ocean floor, heat and pressure built until it no longer could be contained; molten lava spewed along the sandy bottom of the sea. Again and again throughout the eons the volcano relieved its pressure, building layer upon layer of hardened formations that would one day reach and penetrate the ocean's surface. The forces of nature, over an incalculable period of time, completed the gestation and birth of an island that would grow through the centuries to become the sixth largest in the Hawaiian chain.
During its formative years, when the earliest seafaring explorers began to venture onto Hawaiian shores, the island was considered the "home of demons" and given a wide berth. Massive explosions still lit the night sky and smoke belched from the crater. The earliest settlers, who came from the Marquesa Islands more than 2,000 years ago, found new homes on the other islands, staying away from the glowing land mass called Lana'i.
Rock formations of a mysterious, almost alien nature are still to be found in the Garden of the Gods in the north central portion of the island. This isolated red plateau overlooks the Palawai Basin, the floor of the once smoldering volcanic birth mother.
Pre-contact Lana'i
The laws of island society were strict, with wrongdoers punished by death or banishment to Lana'i, the molten home of evil spirits. One day, according to island lore, the son of Chief Kaululuaau committed a crime worthy of the strongest sentence, that is, death. Pleas for mercy were heard and the son was exiled to Lana'i with a mandate to rid the island of its dark inhabitants. Having achieved his goal by sending the vile spirits to Kaho’olawe, he returned home as a hero touting the beauty of the island paradise. So it was that Lana’i became inhabited around 1500 A.D. Throughout the years, the residents of the island lived in relative obscurity. The Luahiwa Petroglyphs and other ancient carvings and ruins are among the only noticeable remnants of the first Polynesian settlers. However, the settlers were also responsible for the lush plant life on the island. They brought sugar cane, banana, elephant ear, bamboo and breadfruit from their home islands. At the height of Lanai’s popularity, King Kamehameha the Great established a summer home on the island so he could partake in the excellent fishing.
Kaunolu Village is a remarkably preserved ancient fishing village and home of Kahekili's Leap, which looms nearly 90 feet above the ocean. Warriors once proved their bravery by diving from the top into the shallow water below. Some of the best-preserved petroglyph carvings can be seen at this village on the south side of Lana'i.
Chapi