Humu'ula and Kala''i'ehā

Traditional native uses of the Humu'ula area included bird catching and, at much higher elevations, adze quarrying. These were replaced by sandalwood harvesting and hunting wild cattle, and ultimately by ranching and astronomy. Over time, travel shifted from footpaths, ala hele, to horses and wagons, then to automobiles, as roadways were improved and travel time shortened. To the north, a section of the Humu'ula Sheep Station perimeter wall marks the eastern boundary of the Humu'ula ahupua'a, a traditional land division. Japanese laborers built the wall to enclose the grassy portion for pasturing sheep, and additional portions of the perimeter wall can be seen farther west on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway. Maunakea, rising some 13,796 feet above sea level, hosts the world's largest astronomical observatory, with telescopes operated by eleven countries. Its dry weather, dark night skies, and summit elevation above forty percent of the earth's atmosphere allow observation to the edges of the universe. The Visitors Information Station at Onizuka Center for International Astronomy, located at the 9,200-foot elevation, is open to the public.

Volcano, Hawaii · United States