The legend of the little lizard
Mokoliʻi means little lizard. In Hawaiian tradition, the goddess Hiʻiaka, sister of the volcano goddess Pele, fought a giant moʻo, a lizard spirit, here. She cast its tail into the sea, where it still rises above the water as the cone-shaped islet you see today.
The islet sits just offshore from Kualoa, one of the most sacred places on Oʻahu. In old Hawaiʻi, passing canoes lowered their sails out of respect, and the children of chiefs were raised here.
Valleys you've already seen
Behind the shoreline, the Koʻolau cliffs fold into the valleys of Kualoa and Kaʻaʻawa, a landscape so cinematic that many films and TV series have been shot here. From the beach park you can frame the islet, the bay and the cliffs in a single photo.
What you'll experience here
- Mokoliʻi and the windward shoreline
- The legend of Hiʻiaka and the moʻo
- Sacred Kualoa and its history
- Cliff valleys familiar from film
This stop is on the Windward Oʻahu leg of the loop.
Questions about this stop
What does Mokoliʻi mean?
Little lizard. Hawaiian tradition says the islet is the tail of a moʻo, a giant lizard, defeated by the goddess Hiʻiaka.
Can you walk to Mokoliʻi on the tour?
No. The stop is a 15-minute view and photo stop from the shore at Kualoa.
Where it fits in the day
This is stop 5 of 9 on the Oahu circle island tour itinerary, a 9.5-hour loop with pickup from six set points in Waikiki.