Coordinates
Hilo Public Library front lawn.
300 Waianuenue Ave, Hilo, HI 96720.
Prophecy of Kings
The Naha
Stone.
Hilo Public Library
300 Waianuenue Ave • Ancient Oracle
The Prophecy
The Naha Stone is an ancient oracle stone estimated to weigh between 2.5 and 3.5 tons. Legend held that any chief (aliʻi) who could move the massive basalt slab would become the supreme ruler of all the Hawaiian islands.
Kamehameha's Feat: Around 1790, he successfully lifted and turned the stone, validating his claim to power and eventual unification of the Kingdom.
The Pinao Stone
Sitting alongside the massive Naha Stone is the smaller Pinao Stone. While less famous, it is historically significant as an ancient door marker to a temple (heiau) that guarded the Wailuku River, linking the site to Hilo's sacred past.
Royal History
Visitor Protocol
Access Level
Free Admission. Accessible 24/7 as an outdoor monument. Plaques available in English & Hawaiian.
Logistics
Free parking at the library. Stones located steps from the sidewalk; high accessibility.
Significance: Strength & Unification
Where the history of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi began
History & Background
The Naha Stone is among the most historically significant objects in Hawaii. This massive basalt slab — estimated to weigh between 2.5 and 3.5 tons — was brought to the Big Island from the island of Kauai in ancient times and placed outside the Pinao Temple in Hilo. For centuries, it served as a test: Hawaiian oral tradition held that only a person of supreme royal birth and godlike strength could move it, and to overturn it would confirm the overturner's destiny to unite the Hawaiian Islands under one rule.
According to historical accounts, the young Kamehameha — likely in his teens around 1790 — lifted and overturned the Naha Stone. The feat was witnessed and considered a prophetic fulfillment. Over the next two decades, Kamehameha I pursued the unification of the Hawaiian Islands through military conquest and strategic alliance. By 1810, all of the major islands were under his rule, establishing the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, which endured until its overthrow in 1893.
The stone was moved from its original temple location to its current site in front of the Hilo Public Library at 300 Waianuenue Avenue in 1963. A companion stone, the Pinao Stone, rests nearby. Together, they are among the most ancient cultural objects on public display in the state and provide a tangible link to the founding mythology of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Admission is free and the stones are accessible at all hours.
Nearby Attractions
Kalākaua Park & King Kalākaua Statue
A short walk from the Naha Stone, Kalākaua Park and its bronze statue of King David Kalākaua sit at the center of downtown Hilo. The park's Victorian bandstand is one of the oldest in the state. Visiting both the ancient stone and the statue of the king shaped by its legend makes for a compelling historical circuit through downtown Hilo.
Rainbow Falls (Waiānuenue)
About a mile from downtown Hilo along Waianuenue Avenue, Rainbow Falls drops 80 feet over a natural lava bowl. Rainbows form in the morning mist. Below the falls is a lava cave associated in Hawaiian legend with Hina, mother of the demigod Maui. The site is free, easily accessible, and one of Hilo's most beloved natural landmarks.
Pacific Tsunami Museum
Located at 130 Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo, this museum documents the devastating tsunamis that have shaped the city's history — including the catastrophic 1946 and 1960 events that destroyed the downtown waterfront. First-person survivor accounts, historical photographs, and scientific exhibits make this one of the most powerful small museums in Hawaii.