Hawaiian Petroglyphs: Kiʻi Pohaku Rock Art and Where to See It

Across the lava fields of Hawaii, particularly on the Big Island, thousands of images have been carved into the smooth surfaces of pāhoehoe lava. These are kiʻi pohaku, rock images, known in English as petroglyphs. They were created over many centuries by Hawaiian carvers whose names and specific intentions we largely do not know, but whose work provides a direct window into the visual vocabulary of Hawaiian culture before and after Western contact.

What Hawaiian petroglyphs are

Hawaiian petroglyphs were made by pecking or incising images into the surface of lava rock using harder stone tools. The favored surface was pāhoehoe, the smooth, ropy lava produced by basaltic flows. Its relatively fine surface held detail well and could be worked with sharp stone chisels. Petroglyphs are found across all the main Hawaiian islands but are most concentrated on the lava fields of the Big Island's Kohala and Kona coasts.

The images include human figures in various poses, animals, canoes, sails, tools, abstract geometric designs, circles with and without spokes, and cups (small circular depressions). Some areas of high concentration appear to have been communal sites where generations of people added their marks over time. Others are more isolated and may have been made by individuals or specific groups for specific purposes.

Where to see petroglyphs in Hawaii

The largest and most accessible collection is at the Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve, near the Holoholokai Beach Park in Waikoloa on the Big Island. This site contains more than 3,000 individual images spread across a pāhoehoe lava field and is reached by a well-maintained trail. It is one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the entire Pacific.

Within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the Puʻuloa Petroglyph Field is accessible via a 1.4-mile round-trip boardwalk trail. Puʻuloa means long hill and is a name associated with long life. The site contains approximately 23,000 petroglyphs, making it one of the most significant in Hawaii. Many of the images here appear to be piko (navel cord) deposits, small cup holes where families placed the umbilical cords of newborns to ensure long life for the child.

What the images mean

The full meaning of Hawaiian petroglyphs is not completely understood, and scholars are careful not to project interpretations onto images without evidence. What is documented: some images correspond to figures known from oral tradition and Hawaiian art. Sails and canoes may record voyages. Human figures with upraised arms may indicate celebration or ceremony. The cup holes at Puʻuloa are documented as piko deposit sites in historical sources.

Some scholars believe petroglyph fields functioned as communal records, like a public journal in stone, where people recorded births, voyages, achievements, and significant events. Others see them as primarily spiritual, connected to mana and the marking of significant places in the landscape. These interpretations are not mutually exclusive.

Visiting petroglyph sites respectfully

Petroglyph sites are legally protected under the National Historic Preservation Act and Hawaii state law, and they are culturally significant to Native Hawaiians. The rules for visiting them are clear: stay on the designated paths and boardwalks, do not touch the images, do not make rubbings or tracings, and do not walk across the lava fields away from marked areas.

Photography is permitted and encouraged as a way to document what you observe. Visit in the morning or late afternoon when the low angle of the sun creates shadows that make the images more visible. For guidance on how to behave at sacred and culturally significant sites more broadly, see our guide to sacred sites in Hawaii.