
Makua Valley is located on Oahu's leeward (West) coast in the foothills of the Waianae Mountains. Makua means parent in the Hawaiian language and legend has it that Makua Valley was the place where man was first created. Conversely, Hawaiians consider the valley to be the point from where souls depart for the afterlife once the human form has been cast off. For this reason one can see many handmade memorials to the dead along the rocky cliffs lining the shore.