Month: February 2021

Why don’t people build with lava rock in Hawaiʻi?

This was a question that came up on one of the social media feeds I get distracted by. “It would make a fine house, be efficient, and long lasting.”

People supporting the idea made comments such as, “Heiau were built of lava rock, and they last hundreds of years.” “Hawaiian walls are made of lava rock, and they last hundreds of years.” “Hawaiians used to build houses out of stone.” “The stone church in Kailua-Kona is still standing and strong.”

Now, I am not going to say, “don’t build with lava.” I actually like the idea, and have seen some very nice lava construction. But I want to point out some things in the earlier comments.

“Heiau were built of lava rock, and they last hundreds of years.” Yes, they were. But the stonework was, and remains solid throughout. They are lava rock platforms on top of which wooden structures were built. The stone portions we look at today are foundations, not the entire heiau. Check out Kamakahonu Heiau and Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau to see how the structures are used on the foundation.

“Hawaiian walls are made of lava rock, and they last hundreds of years.” True. But, like the heiau, they are solid structures. Some have withstood earthquakes and tsunami, but many have been destroyed. (And like the heiau, many also have been disassembled for use in more modern structures.) In general, heiau and walls require regular maintenance which includes the replacement of rocks that fall off, and “chinking,” a process of surveying the entire face of the structure and using a rock or mallet to tap the rocks back in place and “chink” in small rocks to tighten the structure (the word comes from the sound of the tapping, “chink, chink, chink”).

“The ancient Hawaiians used to build houses out of stone and thatch the roofs.” No, they built stone platforms on top of which they build wooden frame structures and thatched the walls and roofs.

“The stone church in Kailua-Kona is still standing and strong.” It’s also undergoing a $3,000,000+ retrofit. Throughout the islands, there are actually a number of notable buildings made from lava stone and coral lime. Mokuaikaua Church, Huliheʻe Palace, I’ll add more as I think of them. There also are numerous ruins of lava stone buildings from the same era which collapsed over the years due to earthquakes and lack of maintenance.

To build with lava, one needs to remember that not all lava is created equal. Some is quite porous and friable. Think red cinder. Some is extremely dense and strong. Think adz material. There is everything in between. And one rock may comprise a few different expressions, leaving you with strong portions bounded by fault lines which will shatter under stress. So you have to select appropriate lava for construction, or the structure can collapse under its own weight.

Assuming you have an expert in Hawaiian rock construction who knows how to select appropriate material, I see no reason not to use it to build. You will have to send your plans to the county (as with any house construction). There are specific codes for building traditional Hawaiian structures. To use lava rock to build the walls of a home may be possible. I would imagine you will need to hire an architect to draw up the plans and specify rock type, have the rocks approved by an engineer, and then get the county to approve your plans.

Some advantages of rock construction:

  • Strong
  • Durable
  • Stays cool inside
  • Stone walls become more beautiful as they age
  • If harvested properly, low environmental impact/carbon footprint
  • Low maintenance

Some disadvantages of rock construction:

  • Very heavy, so construction and foundation costs are high
  • Requires much greater expertise (thus cost) than many other types of construction
  • Natural stone tends to “de-stick” from mortar as it ages, requiring regular upkeep
  • When damaged (earthquakes, impact) it is far more difficult to repair than other types of construction

So, those are just some thoughts about building with lava rock.

Before beginning any construction in Hawaiʻi, you may wish to consider some of the Hawaiian traditions regarding blessings.

This book on building stone walls is not specific to Hawaii, but does have some good practical advice.

The Story of Naupaka and `Ōhikimakaloa

As told by Leilehua Yuen

There are many stories which tell how the naupaka blossom came to have its unusual shape. This is the one I have chosen to share because I believe it is one of the oldest. The chant on which it is based was composed in the mid 1600s or early 1700s for Oʻahu’s Chief Kualiʻi.

O Opuʻukahonua, o Lolomu, o Mihi, O Lana ka wahine.  
Noho Wakea, noho ia Papa
Noho ia Kanananuʻukumamao Hānau ka Naupaka, ku i ke kahakai  


O ʻŌhikimakaloa ka wahine  
O Hoʻopiʻo, o Hulumaniani,
Ku i ka ʻena, a naia ilalo.  


O mehe pā laoa,   O Naholo, Mehe kai olohia a Manu, Oia alakai honua Ku.

O Lanipipili, o Lanioaka, O Lanikahuliomealani, O Lono, o Hekilikaʻaka, O Nakoloailani, O Kailolimoana, O Waia, O Hikapoloa, O Kapoimuliwaa, O Kane, O Ahulukaaʻala, O Kaueikamakaukau,   Alua anahulu wau ia oe e Ku-e; E Kualiʻi.    		Opuʻukahonua, Lolomu, Mihi, Lana the wife.  
Wakea lived and took Papa,
Lived with Kanananuʻukumamao.
Naupaka was then born, which stands by the seashore.

ʻŌhikimakaloa the wife,  
Hoʻopiʻo, Hulumaniani,
Heat rose up, he became insecure [Overcome by jealousy] Like one choking on a bone.  
Naholo, Like the broad calm sea of Manu, The one who led Ku to earth.

O Lanipipili, o Lanioaka, O Lanikahuliomealani, O Lono, o Hekilikaʻaka, O Nakoloailani, O Kailolimoana, O Waia, O Hikapoloa, O Kapoimuliwaa, O Kane, And Ahulukaaʻala; Kane who is ever ready.   Twice ten days am I with you, o Ku, O Kualiʻi.  

The moʻokuʻauhau, or genealogy, of the great chief Kualiʻi, who lived in the 1600s, opens with the three co-husbands, Opuʻukahonua, Lolomu, and Mihi, and with Lana, the wife and progenitress of the family line. The chant then leaps back in time to the mating of Wakea, the Sky Father, with Papa, the Earth Mother. This mating created all things in the cosmos as we know it today.

Wakea then mated with Kanananuʻukumamao, establishing a lineage of chiefs. This lineage included Kualiʻi of Oʻahu, famed for his battle prowess even into old age. When he was old, he became unable to walk. He ordered his men to weave a net for him. Placed in the net, he was carried into battle so he could continue to lead his warriors and to fight. Eventually, through conquest, marriage, and gifts, he became ruler of all the islands from Kauai in the north to Hawaiʻi in the south.

Kuali`i’s genealogy eventually led to Kamehameha Paiʻea, who united the Southern Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom, and negotiated with Kaumualiʻi, ruler of the northern Hawaiian islands, (Kauai, Niʻihau, Lehua, Mokumanamana, and the small islets) which became a tributary state.

An early ancestor of note is the legendary Naupaka, symbolized by the native plant which grows on the Hawaiian shoreline. Naupaka kahakai, Scaevola taccada, is indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands. It is found in coastal areas throughout the Pacific. Hardy and attractive, it is a commonly used landscaping plant. There are at least five different species of naupaka. All but the naupaka kahakai are endemic to Hawai`i, and evolved from it, moving up the mountain slopes into unique niches in the Hawaiian ecosystem.

The Naupaka of legend married the beautiful, but lower ranking, ʻŌhikimakaloa, named for the small crab which lives in the makaloa sedges growing in the intertidal zone.

Hoʻopiʻo (High Ranked Birth) had wanted ʻŌhikimakaloa as a lover. Hulumaniani (Feather Fan), had wanted to marry Naupaka. Hoʻopiʻo spread evil gossip about the bride, careful to be sure that Naupaka heard it. Hulumaniani fanned Naupaka’s jealousy, and he allowed his jealousy to overrule his reason.

ʻŌhikimakaloa, not understanding his anger toward her, tried to win back her husband with soft words and flower lei she wove with her own hands, but he would have nothing to do with her. She followed him from shore to mountain, and back again, entreating him with her words and gifts, but he tore them from his heart and neck, letting the broken blossoms fall to the ground where they grew into shrubs that continue to bloom with torn flowers today. Eventually ʻŌhikimakaloa headed back down the mountain.

Returning to her home in the sedges, she pined away, becoming more and more withdrawn until she looked like a small crab hiding in its shell.

At last, Naupaka returned to the sea, thinking he would distract himself with surfing. But the sea was flat and calm, not a wave in sight, brooding like himself. Hulumaniani came to him and tried to place a lei about her neck, but he rebuffed her. She then placed the lei on the neck of Hoʻopiʻo, and together they chanted a song of victory. Naupaka suddenly realized what had happened. He ran to the sedges where ʻŌhikimakaloa lived, but could not find her.  

Walking back up the beach alone, he sat staring out to sea until he turned into the shrub which bears his name. His face has the shape of the torn blossom, but you can tell he is still a chief, because under his chin he still wears the lei niho palaoa, emblem of royalty, that he wore as a man.

ʻŌhikimakaloa continues to live as a little crab in her sedge home at the water’s edge, but now that Naupaka understands the truth, she often runs up the beach to visit him and take shelter in the embrace of his branches and roots.