Hawaiian Name Finder

volcano · Maui

Puʻu Kukui

candlenut hill

POO-oo koo-KOO-ee

One of the wettest places on earth.

Candlenut hill

Kukui is the candlenut tree, whose oily nuts were burned for light and whose silvery leaves make it easy to pick out on a hillside. It is the state tree of Hawaiʻi.

Puʻu Kukui is the summit of Mauna Kahālāwai, at 5,788 feet.

Rain

The summit bog receives something on the order of three hundred and sixty inches of rain a year, placing it among the wettest measured locations on the planet. The ground is a floating bog of moss and dwarf vegetation, and the area is a private preserve with access tightly restricted to protect it.