Nuuanu Pali is a section of the windward cliff (pali in Hawaiian) of the Koolau mountain located at the head of Nuuanu Valley on the island of Oahu. It has a panoramic view of the windward (northeast) coast of Oahu. The Pali Highway (Hawaii State Highway 61) connecting Kailua/Kāneohe with downtown Honolulu runs through the Nuuanu Pali Tunnels bored into the cliffside. The area is also the location of the Nuuanu Freshwater Fish Refuge and the Nuuanu Reservoir in the jurisdiction of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Nuuanu Pali State Wayside is a lookout above the tunnels where there is a panoramic view of Oahu's windward side with views of Kāneohe, Kāneohe Bay, and Kailua. It is also well known for strong trade winds that blow through the pass (now bypassed by the Nuuanu Pali Tunnels). The Nuʻuanu Pali Tunnels were built in 1958. Before this road opened, people would use what is now known as the Old Pali Road, currently a popular hiking route. History The Nuuanu Pali has been a vital pass from ancient times to the present because it is a low, traversable section of the Koolau mountain range that connects the leeward side of the mountains, Honolulu to the windward side, Kailua and Kāneohe. The route drew settlers who formed villages in the area and populated Nuuanu Valley for a thousand years. The Nuuanu Pali was the site of the Battle of Nuuanu, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oahu, bringing it under his rule. In 1795 Kamehameha I sailed from his home island of Hawaii with an army of 10,000 warriors, including a handful of non-Hawaiian foreigners. After conquering the islands of Maui and Molokai, he moved on to Oahu. The pivotal battle for the island occurred in Nuuanu Valley, where the defenders of Oahu, led by Kalanikūpule, were driven back up into the valley where they were trapped above the cliff. Kamehamehaʻs warriors forced Maui Chief Kalanikupule's men to their deaths off of the cliff. Roughly 400 warriors died in this battle. After this battle, Kapanui recited a Hawaiian chant as a sign of respect to those who have died there. In 1845 the first road was built over the Nuuanu Pali, to connect Windward Oahu with Honolulu. In 1898, as this road was developed into a highway, workers found