Kawaikini is a mountain peak in Kauai County, Hawaii at about 1,593 m (5,226 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 12.0 km (7.5 mi) W of Wailua Homesteads.
Kawaikini is a shield volcano on the Hawaiian Island of Kauaʻi and in Kauaʻi County and measures 5,243 feet (1,598 m) in elevation. It is the summit of the island's inactive central shield volcano, Mount Waialeale. Other peaks on Kauaʻi include: Waiʻaleʻale (5,148 feet), Nāmolokama Mountain (4,421 feet), Kalalau Lookout (4,120 feet), Keanapuka Mountain (4,120 feet), Haupu (2,297 feet) and Nounou (1,241 feet).From the Wikipedia article “Kawaikini”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kawaikini the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 64° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 296° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 89° in summer but only 44° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 270° W | 68° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 64° ENE | 7:25 PM | 296° WNW | 89° | 13h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:28 AM | 89° E | 6:35 PM | 271° W | 68° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 115° ESE | 6:00 PM | 245° WSW | 44° | 10h 47m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:56 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 56m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:36 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 26m |
| March | 6:25 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:10 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:28 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:21 PM | 12h 40m |
| May | 5:35 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:35 PM | 13h 12m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:27 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 28m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 21m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 54m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:05 PM | 12h 17m |
| October | 6:12 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 39m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:20 PM | 11h 05m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:25 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 48m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Kawaikini, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 39° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| February | 4:31 AM – 5:51 AM | 1.3 | 25° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:42 AM – 5:32 AM | 2.8 | 36° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:35 AM – 4:55 AM | 4.3 | 39° | SE → S |
| May | 10:33 PM – 4:33 AM | 6.0 | 39° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:49 PM – 4:29 AM | 7.7 | 39° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:49 PM – 2:59 AM | 6.2 | 39° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:29 PM – 12:59 AM | 4.5 | 39° | S → SW |
| September | 7:57 PM – 10:57 PM | 3.0 | 36° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:28 PM – 8:58 PM | 1.5 | 26° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.47 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (69%). September is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 79 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 81 | 81 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 83 | 81 | 80 |
| Low °F | 66 | 66 | 65 | 68 | 70 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 71 | 66 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Kawaikini, closest first.
Mountain Peak
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.