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Windward Side Oahu QTVR

by ALOHA DEAN

 

Windward means the side of the island, facing toward the prevailing trade winds.
Between  Makapu Point and  the town of Kahulu about 37 miles the steep Koolau Mountain parallels the highway much of the way. This is the windward Oahu, kept green by the moisture-laden trade winds.

Windward Oahu is generally wetter than the Leeward side. The Ko'olau range rises high enough to force the warm trade winds up to the cooler, high altitude winds, where the moisture condenses and falls as rain. In consequence, the windward side is green and thick with vegetation. In part because of its distance from Honolulu and in part from the dearth of open land caused by the mountains crowding the coast, the windward side is not nearly so developed as leeward Oahu. The two largest cities, Kailua and Kaneohe, are growing at a good clip, and tensions between developers and residents are increasing