ʻAkaka Falls State Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids ʻAkaka Falls State Park
ʻAkaka Falls on Kolekole Stream
ʻAkaka Falls State Park Location in Hawaii
Location	Honomu, Hawaiʻi, United States
Governing body	Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources

ʻAkaka Falls State Park is a special area in Hawaiʻi Island, United States. It is a state park, which means it is protected by the state government. The park is about 11 miles (18 km) north of Hilo. You can find it off the Hawaii Belt Road (Route 19) at the end of Hawaii Route 220.

The park is famous for its main waterfall, ʻAkaka Falls. This amazing waterfall is 442 feet (135 meters) tall! The name ʻAkaka comes from a Hawaiian chief named 'Akaka-o-ka-nī'au-oi'o-i-ka-wao. He was the grandson of two important figures, Kūlanikapele and Kīakalohia.

You can explore the park by walking along a loop trail. This trail takes you to different spots where you can see the waterfalls. From the trail, you can clearly see ʻAkaka Falls. You can also see another beautiful waterfall called Kahūnā Falls, which is 300 feet (91 meters) tall. There are also smaller waterfalls along the way.

Ancient Stories and Legends

Local stories tell about a special stone in the park called Pōhaku a Pele. People say that if you hit this stone with a branch from a lehua ʻāpane tree, the sky will get dark and rain will start to fall. A lehua ʻāpane is a type of ʻōhiʻa tree (its scientific name is Metrosideros polymorpha). These trees have beautiful dark red flowers.

ʻAkaka Falls is part of Kolekole Stream. There is a large stone in the stream, about 70 feet (21 meters) upstream from the falls. This stone is known as Pōhaku o Kāloa.

Amazing Wildlife

The park is home to some unique animals that have adapted to this special environment.

The Climbing Fish: ʻOʻopu ʻAlamoʻo

One amazing creature here is the ʻoʻopu ʻalamoʻo. This is a type of goby fish that lives only in Hawaii. It has a very interesting life cycle. These fish lay their eggs in the streams above the waterfall. But they grow up and become adults in the ocean.

What makes them special is how they get back upstream. The ʻoʻopu ʻalamoʻo has a special suction disk on its belly. This disk helps them stick to wet rocks. They use this disk to climb up the slippery rocks behind and next to the waterfall. This way, they can get back to the stream above the falls when it's time to lay their own eggs.

The Waterfall Shrimp: ʻŌpaekalaʻole

Another cool animal found here is a type of shrimp called the ʻōpaekalaʻole. Just like the ʻoʻopu ʻalamoʻo fish, this shrimp has also learned how to climb ʻAkaka Falls. It climbs the waterfall to live in Kolekole Stream above the falls.

Images for kids

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  Trail in park, 1959

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  A friendly robot