Laupahoehoe Point

Midway along the Hamakua Coast, this is a great place to picnic, relax and explore tide pools. On April 1, 1946 the Big Island of Hawaii was struck by the so-called "April Fools Day tsunami", originating from the Aleutian islands earthquake. Approximately 160 people on the island were killed. While the greatest number of deaths occurred in Hilo, the school building at Laupāhoehoe was inundated, and twenty students and four teachers were drowned. A monument to the dead now stands on Laupāhoehoe Point. The community's name means "leaf-lava" and is named for the leaf-shaped lava that lines many of its beaches.