The interior of Mokuʻaikaua Church is one of finest examples of the use of native Hawaiian woods remaining in the islands.
All of the interior posts and beams are made of of ʻohiʻa wood. ʻOhiʻa lehua is Hawaii's most abundant native tree and often the first thing to grow in fresh lava fields since Hawaii's tropical breezes easily spread the tree's tiny seeds.
ʻOhiʻa lehua trees are found between elevations of 1,000 and 9,000 feet. They grow as small trees in wet marshes, yet, in more stable ground they can grow to over 100 feet in height.
Visitors will find numerous examples of ʻohiʻa lehua within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Ancient Hawaiians used ʻohiʻa to construct temple idols, poi mashers, and bowls. Today ʻohiʻa is used in house posts, furniture and flooring.
The pews, pulpit and interior paneling of Mokuʻaikaua Church are made of koa wood, one of the world's most rare and valuable woods.
Koa wood forests once were widely found in moist tropical forests between elevations of 1,000 and 6,000 feet on the sides of Hualalai, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Koa trees can also grow to over 100 feet in height with trunks as much as 10 feet in diameter. Ancient Hawaiians used koa wood for dugout canoes, paddles, spears and surfboards. Today koa trees are scarce and products made of koa wood are extremely expensive but make for wonderful memories of your visit to Hawaii.
