'Opaeka'a Falls
'Opaeka'a Falls is a waterfall in Hawaiʻi, at a modelled elevation of 38 m. Kawaikini stands 1,587 m to the west, 8.6 miles off. The nearest named place is Kamokila Hawaiian Village, a attraction 0.4 miles away.
The story
ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls is a waterfall located on the ʻŌpaekaʻa Stream in Wailua River State Park on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It is a 151-foot (46 m) waterfall that flows over basalt from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Below the ridge down into the ravine through which the water falls can be seen the vertical dikes of basalt that cut through the horizontal Koloa lava flows. The name "ʻŌpaekaʻa" means rolling shrimp, "ʻopae" being Hawaiian for "shrimp," and "kaʻa" for "rolling". The name dates back to days when the native freshwater shrimp Atyoida bisulcata were plentiful in the stream and were seen rolling and tumbling down the falls and into the churning waters at the fall's base. Visually, this is a spectacular waterfall and is one of the island's few waterfalls that can be seen from the road. It flows year round and therefore is not seasonal. Most of the time it falls in a double cascade but the two sides may become one after a heavy rain. There is a highway overlook which provides a panoramic view of the 40-foot (12 m) wide falls and the valley below. The best time of day to see the falls is in full sunlight when the water sparkles the most. If the day is cloudy the view is less spectacular.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4540511, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 46 m
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- Mauna Kapu: 0.8 mi
- ʻAʻahoaka: 1.0 mi
- Nounou (Sleeping Giant): 1.0 mi
- Nāʻiliakaʻauea: 1.1 mi
- Sleeping Giant: 1.2 mi
- Kamokila Hawaiian Village: 0.4 mi
- Fern Grotto: 0.7 mi
- Kayak Starts: 1.5 mi
- Kayak Wailua: 1.8 mi
- Keahua Arboretum: 3.9 mi
- Smith's Tropical Paradise: 1.0 mi
- Wailua Homesteads Park: 1.3 mi
- Sacred Rudraksha Forest: 2.4 mi
- Waipouli Park: 3.2 mi
- Nukolii Beach Park: 3.3 mi
- Uluwehi Falls: 0.7 mi
- Wailua Falls: 1.4 mi
- Kaholalele Falls: 2.1 mi
- Hoʻopiʻi Falls: 4.2 mi
- Uhau‘iole Falls: 5.4 mi
- Hanamaulu Beach: 4.1 mi
- Kalapaki Beach: 6.1 mi
- Donkey Beach: 6.2 mi
- Hāʻula Beach: 10.6 mi
- Larsen's Beach: 11.0 mi
- Malae Heiau: 1.5 mi
- Hikina-a-ka-lā Heiau: 1.7 mi
- Kukui Heiau: 2.1 mi
- Statue of Dr. Jose Rizal y Mercado: 5.1 mi
- Heiau Hoʻouluia: 12.4 mi
- Japanese Garden: 1.1 mi
- Moir Garden: 13.4 mi
- McBryde Garden: 13.7 mi
- National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kaua‘i - South Shore: 14.0 mi
- Native forest restoration: 18.0 mi
- Keeper's Quarters: 12.7 mi
- 2nd Assistant Keeper's Quarters: 12.8 mi
- 1st Assistant Keeper's Quarters: 12.8 mi
- Daniel K. Inouye Kilauea Point Lighthouse: 12.8 mi
- Oil House: 12.9 mi
- Kahu Aina Mural by Melinda Morey: 13.5 mi
- Weaving Lauhala: 13.5 mi
- Wave Sculpture: 13.9 mi
- Mark Daniells Gallery: 13.9 mi
- Lilo & Stitch: 17.3 mi
- Kauai Museum: 5.1 mi
- Grove Farm Homestead Plantation Museum: 5.7 mi
- Waioli Mission House Museum: 13.8 mi
- Kokee Natural History Museum: 19.8 mi
- Hanalei Pier: 14.3 mi
- Alakaʻi Picnic Area: 17.9 mi
- Kukui Picnic Area: 19.1 mi
- Pine Forest Drive Picnic Area: 23.0 mi
- Waipuloku Spring: 15.1 mi
- Kepapa Spring: 22.9 mi
- Polihale Spring: 24.7 mi
- Makawehi Bluff: 12.9 mi
- Pihakekua: 13.3 mi
- Kanaʻele Bog Preserve: 10.5 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 9.4 miles of 'Opaeka'a Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kawaikini | W 273° | 1,587 m | 8.6 mi |
| Wai‘ale‘ale | W 280° | 1,569 m | 8.8 mi |
| Makaleha | NNW 327° | 980 m | 6.1 mi |
| Namahana (Kekoiki) | NNW 331° | 858 m | 8.0 mi |
| Pu'u 'Eu | NNW 332° | 838 m | 6.5 mi |
| Haʻupu | SSW 197° | 700 m | 8.9 mi |
| Hokulei | S 188° | 507.8 m | 8.3 mi |
| Hokunui | S 185° | 490.1 m | 8.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:42 | 18:20 | 18:49 |
| June solstice | 05:56 | 18:52 | 19:24 |
| September equinox | 06:27 | 18:05 | 18:35 |
| December solstice | 07:13 | 17:27 | 18:00 |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Sep–Jul.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 72 | 72 | 73 | 75 | 76 | 78 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 76 | 74 |
| Precip in | 2.8 | 3.6 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Lihue WSO AP 1020.1, 5 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Nov–Apr — fullest in Mar, leanest in Jun.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 166 | 136 | 182 | 138 | 104 | 70.0 | 83.7 | 93.4 | 84.8 | 99.4 | 178 | 174 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge SF Wailua River nr Lihue, Kauai, HI, 1 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/1275498046
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