Kukuihaele, HI

Kukuihaele is a Hawai'i County CDP on the Hamakua side of the Big Island, perched above the cliffs around Waipio Valley. The place is known for the first stand of cinchona trees planted on the island by forester David McHattie Forbes, an experiment tied to the old sugar country above the coast. Today, the Waipio Valley Lookout and Kukuihaele Park give the community its clearest gathering points: the overlook sits at the end of the road into the valley, while the county park has sports fields, a pavilion, playground, restrooms, and a walking path. Route 240 runs through the settlement toward Honokaa. Kukuihaele is an upland community whose map is shaped by the valley overlook, the park, and the plantation landscape.