Waipio Voted Hawaii’s Most Beautiful Valley

I haven’t been to the Big Island of Hawaii yet but when I do this is surely one place I will definitely have to visit:

The Big Island’s largest, deepest and—OK, we’ll just say it—most visually stunning valley received almost twice the votes of its closest competition in our poll. If you’ve ever been to Waipio, we’re sure you understand why. Six miles deep with a mile-long black sand and boulder-strewn beach, Waipio’s considerable natural charms are as breathtaking from a scenic overlook almost 2,000 feet above the valley floor, as they are by hike, horseback or four-wheel drive vehicle on the valley floor.

The most southern of six Hamakua Coast valleys marking the Kohala Mountains drop into the sea, Waipio was once home to thousands of Native Hawaiians who farmed its vast fertile acreage prior to Western contact. The valley—also called “Valley of the Kings” because of the many Big Island rulers raised within its walls—was King Kamehameha the Great’s boyhood home. These days, fewer than 100 residents live in Waipio, many of them taro farmers. [Hawaii Magazine]

You can read the rest at the link along with seeing pictures and descriptions of Top 5 reader voted valleys in the Hawaiian islands.