Waipio Valley

[11][12] On April 26, 2022, a group of Big Island residents announced they would be suing Mayor Mitch Roth and Hawaii County's Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst over the closure of the road.

The plaintiffs argued that the closure of Waipio Valley Road to all but residents violated their constitutional rights to equal protection against intentional and arbitrary discrimination.

[14] The access to the valley floor with a covered 4WD vehicle was reopened September 19, 2022 for Big Island residents, county-permitted tour company operators and those seeking to practice their Native Hawaiian traditional or customary rights.

[15] It has a role in local Hawaiian folklore as a place where the gateway to Lua-o-Milu (the Underworld) was hidden from view by sand.

[16] The valley was the site of the final scene in the 1995 sci-fi film Waterworld, at which the main characters found dry land.