Makapuu is the extreme eastern end of the Island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

, comprising the remnant of a ridge that rises 647 feet (197 m) above the sea. The cliff at Makapuu Point forms the eastern tip and is the site of a prominent lighthouse. The place name of this area, meaning "bulging eye" in Hawaiian, is thought to derive from the name of an image said to have been located in a cave here called ''Keanaokeakuapōloli''. The entire area is quite scenic and a panoramic view is presented at the lookout on Kalanianaole Highway (State Rte. 72) where the roadway surmounts the cliff just before turning south towards leeward Oahu and

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. The Makapuu area is reached approximately east of Waimānalo Beach on Kalanianaole Highway (State Rte. 72) or from the Honolulu side (south shore;

Hawaii Kai Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

) travelling east along the same highway beyond Sandy Beach. The Makapuu Point State Wayside Park, a roadside park, is about midway up the draw on the right-hand side coming from Hawaii Kai. Features of special interest in this area include: *

Sea Life Park Hawaii Sea Life Park Hawaii is a marine mammal park, bird sanctuary and aquarium in Waimānalo near Makapuʻu Point, north of Hanauma Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, United States. The park first opened in 1964 and in early 2025, the park was so ...

– A large commercial park and aquarium featuring displays and shows of Hawaiian marine life. * Makapuu Point Lighthouse is a , active

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

established in 1909. Construction for the lighthouse was prompted by the grounding of the steamer ''Manchuria'' in the predawn hours on August 20, 1906 on the reefs off Waimānalo. The lighthouse was automated in 1974 and its keepers quarters demolished in 1987, but the remnants are still visible. The lighthouse contains a roughly French Fresnel hyper-radial

lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...

, the largest lens in use in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The lens is able to magnify and intensify the illumination of a single electrical 1,000-watt, 120-volt light bulb. It was damaged by a vandal firing a bullet at it, but the lens is still in service as it is no longer reproducible. A popular day hike along the access road to the lighthouse begins at a parking lot located south of the Makapuu lookout on Kalanianaole Highway. A second trail leads from the remnants of the keepers quarters to the lighthouse, but it is off limits to the public. The lighthouse itself is also off limits to the public and is protected by three locked gates. * Makapuu Point State Wayside is part of the eastern end of Oahu encompassing Makapuu Head and the lighthouse at Makapuu Point. A paved road, open to the public for foot traffic only, leads out to the Makapuu Lighthouse. The trail is roughly long and rises mostly heading towards the south along the land-side of the ridge and curves around ''Puu o Kīpahulu'' (southern end of the ridge), then traverses the ridge bearing right towards the lighthouse, which is closed to the public. A trail leads up from the former Coast Guard residential area to a summit from which the islands of

Molokai Molokai or Molokai ( or ; Molokaʻi dialect: Morotaʻi ) is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its g ...

and

Lanai Lānai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The island's on ...

may be seen across the Kaiwi Channel. On particularly clear days, the island of

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

can be visible. Of interest to hikers visiting the wayside park is the possibility of seeing

Humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...

s in the waters offshore between the months of November and April. A telescope is available to the public at the summit lookout. There are so-called blowholes along the rocky shore below Makapuu Head which are sometimes active. *

Mānana Mānana Island is an uninhabited islet located off Kaupō Beach, near Makapuʻu, Makapuu at the eastern end of the island of Oahu, Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. In the Hawaiian language, ''mānana'' means "Buoyancy, buoyant". The islet is commo ...

Island is a offshore

tuff cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

known as Rabbit Island because of its resemblance to a large rabbit's head rising out of the sea and because it was once inhabited by introduced rabbits after a rancher released them there. The island is now a protected bird sanctuary and thereby illegal to land there unless you have permission from the Hawaii Department of Land Natural Resources. * Kāohikaipu – A low volcanic islet off Makapuu Beach Park; also a State Bird Sanctuary. * Makapuu Beach Park and Kaupō Beach Park – All of the rocky shoreline and pocket beaches between the sea cliffs at Makapuu Point and the State Research Pier (Makai Pier) are beach parks open to the public. Wave conditions at Kaupō (western end) are more suited to young beach-goers and poor swimmers. Makapuu Beach is a popular body-surfing beach, but the shore break can be dangerous. * Makai Pier – A long, concrete pier built by the

State of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

to support marine research efforts in the Hawaiian Islands. This pier houses several commercial marine engineering firms and HURL (Hawaii Underwater Research Laboratory). * Ka Iwi State Scenic Shoreline - The coastal area that extends from Makapuu Point Wayside to Sandy's Beach. Included in this section is Pele's Chair rock formation and the beach/swimming spot that shares the same name.Pele's Chair - Oahu for Free
/ref> * File:Makapuʻu Beach.JPG, Makapuu Beach and Waimānalo Bay File:Makapu'u Point.jpg, Makapuu Point and lighthouse from Makapuu Beach File:Ka Iwi 2.jpeg, View of the Ka Iwi wilderness area from trail to Makapuu Point summit File:Rabbit Island.jpeg, "Rabbit" Island: the emerging lop-eared rabbit is swimming to the right File:Makapuʻu Point Hawaii.JPG, The islands across Makapuu

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makapu'u Landforms of Oahu Tuff cones Volcanoes of Oahu Beaches of Oahu Cliffs of Hawaii Protected areas of Oahu

See also

References