Wai'ohinu

Wai'ohinu, Big Island

The small town of Wai'ohinu, which means "shiny water" in the Hawaiian language, is a small community located in the Ka'u district near South Point. There is not much going on in this small town.

Author Mark Twain visited Wai'ohinu in 1866 and planted a monkeypod tree here. The large tree called the Mark Twain Monkeypod Tree became the town's main attraction until it was hit by a windstorm in 1957 and destroyed. But a shoot from the tree was replanted and so the tree grew back. Today, it has turned into a sizable tree once more. Another part of the tree's original trunk, which has been carved into a bust of Twain, is on display at the Lyman House Museum in Hilo.

Wai'ohinu has just one store, the Wong Yuen Store and Service Station, which was built by the Chinese immigrant Wong Yuen in 1914. There is also a small park with a pavilion. The county water spigot is also located here, where local residents go to get drinking water.

Wai'ohinu Overview

• Small, quiet town near the southern tip of the Big Island
• Local attraction is a monkeypod tree, which was originally planted by author Mark Twain
• Town has just one store