Stop 5: Waipio Valley
Waipio Valley is one of the centers of settlement of the early Hawaiians, and taro is still grown on the valley floor. Frequently cloud-covered due to the trade winds bringing moisture in off the sea as they hit the windward side of Kohala volcano, Waipio Valley is one of the few parts of the Big island that are rarely seen in satellite images.
Here we are looking westward along the coast of Kohala. Waipio Valley is off to the left, and we can just see the footpath that zigzags down the far wall of the valley. The wide floor of Waipio Valley is the result of submergence of a stream-cut valley due to the relative rise of sea level and the filling of the valley by alluvium and (possibly) marine sediments.
From here you can continue on to Stop 6 on the ground, or you can pick another point from the Big Island Virtual Field Trip page.
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Authors: Peter Mouginis-Mark & Lori Glaze
Copyright by P. Mouginis-Mark Curator: Lori Glaze Page Design: Laurence Laforga |
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