Laie, Hawaii

Lā‘ie is a community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ko‘olauloa District on the Island of O‘ahu, City & County of Honolulu. In Hawaiian, lā‘ie means "‘ie leaf" (‘ie is a climbing pandanus: Freycinetia arborea). Lā‘ie is the largest town in the district with a total population of 4,585 according to the 2000 Census.

Related Topics:
Census-designated place - O‘ahu - City & County of Honolulu - Hawaiian - Pandanus - 2000 Census

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Lā‘ie is one of the largest communities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the site of the Lā‘ie Hawai‘i Temple, the fifth oldest Mormon temple in the world. Brigham Young University of Hawai‘i is located in Lā‘ie. The university's Polynesian Cultural Center, the state's largest living museum, draws millions of visitors annually and is considered the number one tourist destination in the islands.

Related Topics:
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Lā‘ie Hawai‘i Temple - Brigham Young University of Hawai‘i - Polynesian Cultural Center - Living museum

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Though small, Lā‘ie has had a profound impact on Hawaiian culture. Feasts on the beach in the 1940s inspired the "Hukilau Song," made famous by Arthur Godfrey, and the "Shaka sign" now commonly associated with Hawaii was born in Lā‘ie, in honor of Hamana Kalili, a respected local leader who had lost the index, middle and ring fingers of his right hand. In a twist of fate, Kalili provided the fishing nets used in the early hukilau gatherings, including the one which led to the song. Those gatherings led to the founding of the Polynesian Cultural Center in 1963.

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The coastline is marked by a prominent lithified dune jutting out into the ocean as Lā‘ie Point (also known as Laniloa Point, the elevated land formation with Lā‘ie Pt. at its tip). Two other lithified dunes (Kukuiho‘olua and Mokuālai) lie just offshore of the point as scenic islets. Lā‘ie Beach Park, popularly known as Pounders Beach for the offshore surf site, is just south of the town. Lā‘ie Beach, also known as Hukilau Beach, is located at the north end of town, at the mouth of Kahawainui Stream.

Related Topics:
Dune - Islet

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The U.S. postal code for Lā‘ie is 96762.

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