Humu'ula and Kala''i'ehā

Humu'ula and Kala''i'ehā. Daniel K. Inouye Highway. Traditional native uses of the Humu'ula area included bird catching and, at much higher elevations, adze quarrying. They were replaced by sandalwood harvesting and hunting wild cattle, and ultimately ranching and astronomy. Over time, travelers whose only choice was once footpaths, ala hele, shifted to horses and wagons, then to automobiles. Roadways were improved and travel time shortened. , To the north, a section of the Humu'ula Sheep Station perimeter wall may be seen, marking the eastern boundary of the Humu'ula ahupua'a (a traditional land division). The wall was built by Japanese laborers to enclose the grassy portion for pasturing sheep. You can see additional portions of the perimeter wall as you travel father west on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway. , Majestic Maunakea, rising some 13,796 feet above sea level, hosts the world's largest astronomical observatory with telescopes operated by eleven countries. Its dry weather conditions, dark night skies and an elevation that places the summit above forty percent of the earth's atmosphere allow observation to the edges of the universe. The Visitors Information Station at Onizuka Center for International Astronomy, located at the 9,200-foot elevation, is open to the public.