Kukuihaele is a very small town that is home to Waipio Valley Artworks. The gallery is housed in a historic plantation-style building. The nearby Waipiʻo Valley and Koaʻekea at its lookout are also important for understanding the area: they connect art and local history with their own landscape and cultural contexts.

Art and Commercial History

Waipio Valley Artworks represents more than 150 local artists working in a range of media. The former N. Kaneshiro Store began operating in the same building in 1920. It supplied farmers in Waipiʻo Valley with goods they needed and bought their taro. As a result, different aspects come together in the town: the representation of local artists and the former supply of goods to the valley. The gallery and the history of the store tell of different uses of the same building.

Parking and restrooms are available at Waipio Valley Artworks. The café offers food and drinks to go. The gallery is about five minutes from the Waipiʻo Lookout. This provides another point of connection to the valley, alongside the town’s art and history.

Koaʻekea at the Waipiʻo Valley Lookout

The coastal Waipiʻo Valley Lookout is at the end of the Hāmākua Heritage Corridor drive; the valley can be viewed from there. Koaʻekea is an area at the lookout, above the descent into Waipiʻo Valley, with views of the valley below. Koaʻekea is an ʻili, or small parcel of land, with deep-rooted cultural history and historical significance. At Koaʻekea, Pōhāhā I Ka Lani offers groups, classes, and workshops focused on land stewardship and cultural education. The views and educational programs give this place distinct cultural and landscape connections.

The Nearby Waipiʻo Valley

Access to Waipiʻo Valley is via a county road from Honokaʻa-Waipiʻo Road; access may be subject to local restrictions. King Kamehameha I grew up in the nearby valley. This historical connection belongs to the valley itself and adds to the connections with art and commercial history in Kukuihaele and the cultural history of Koaʻekea.

Another way to experience the area around the valley is the nearby Muliwai Trail. This steep and challenging 18-mile hike crosses the western cliff of Waipiʻo Valley to Waimanu Valley. The route is clearly different from the viewpoint at the lookout and the groups, classes, and workshops at Koaʻekea: here, the focus is a challenging trail with named endpoints.

Waipio Valley Artworks and the history of the former store are part of the very small town of Kukuihaele. Koaʻekea is at the lookout, while Waipiʻo Valley, with its own history and the Muliwai Trail, offers further points of interest. When choosing a destination, it helps to consider whether art and local commercial history or the cultural and landscape connections at the valley should take center stage.

Discover more destinations: Kapaau, Waikoloa Village, Captain Cook, Holualoa, Mountain View, Papaikou, Hawaiian Beaches, Kailua Kona.

For the broader travel overview: Hawaii.