One Nīnole is in the Kaʻū District south of Route 11 ( Hawaii Belt Road ) adjacent to the south of Punaluu Beach . It was on Nīnole Cove , a small bay at the shore of what is now Sea Mountain Golf Course . The village was the birthplace of Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia ( 1792 – 1818 ) who inspired the missionary movement that forever changed Hawaii . It was mostly destroyed by a tsunami after the 1868 Hawaii earthquake . Its elevation is 85 feet ( 26 m ) . Because the community has borne multiple names , the Board on Geographic Names officially designated it " Nīnole " in 2000
1868 Hawaii earthquake
1868 Hawaii earthquake
Nīnole, Hawaii