Hawaii consists of 8 main volcanic islands, the smallest of which is Kaho’olawe. It is 10 kilometers wide and 18 kilometers long. Lua Makika is the highest point of Kaho’olawe. There is minimal precipitation and the island is quite dry. Saprolitic hardpan has resulted in the erosion of more than one quarter of the island.

The Kaho’olawe Island Reserve was established in 1993 by the Hawaii State Legislature. The island and two nautical miles from the shore were included in it. The law says that Kaho’olawe is to be used only for preservation of native Hawaiian culture. This includes the history, spirituality, fishing, preservation etc.

The Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission was created to manage the reserve for the future. The restoration of vegetation and balance in the water table are aims of the KIRC.

Maui and Kaho’olawe are separated by the Alalakeiki Channel. Kaho’olawe is 45 square miles. From any point on Kaho’olawe the ocean is less than 4 km away. In 1866 the population on Kaho’olawe was 18. In 1831 it was 80. Today it is zero. With the huge amount of restoration work on in Kaho’olawe it is hoped that someday it may be a beautiful paradise and a great tourist attraction.

It is an enigma of sorts and full of legends. The modern story of Kaho’olawe begins as an island where people were sent for criminal punishment. Then came the livestock grazing days which stripped the island of vegetation. Then the island came to be used as a military base. After several decades of bombardment by the U.S. armed forces, preparatory to conflicts, Kaho’olawe is on the way to being a natural paradise once again.

The effects of the bombardment still remain and the cleaning of the remains of the bombing days is not easy. This island has seen a pinch of what world civilization has been through as an island should – in isolation. However echoes of the changes in the history of the globe as well as the reverberations of several great conflicts are still here.

Kaho’olawe has its place in the history of the world. From King Kamehaha, his wife and their edicts, to the onset of modern education, this island has seen it all. Someday soon the world might bridge the distance between the forgotten past of Kaho’olawe and its relevance to the present and future.

Kaho’olawe part of the Hawaiian heaven is a land largely undiscovered. Someday soon, this island may be the choice you make to discover yourself in travel. By then the efforts at the restoration of the spiritual, cultural and historic roots of Hawaii in Kaho’olawe may have borne fruit.

This then is the way Kaho’olawe is relevant to the world as a tiny remnant of the changes in history. Situated next to the most talked about chunk of land in the world, Kaho’olawe may soon surpass what it has been. If you have a twenty year plan for a world tour, then make sure Kaho’olawe is on your list of “must go” places!