Qualla: Diamond Head https://qualla.com/diamond-head-hawaii en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:09 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/b/diamond-head-hawaii-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Diamond Head https://qualla.com/diamond-head-hawaii Diamond Head: Introduction https://qualla.com/diamond-head-hawaii/ Photo credit Simon_sees from Australia, CC BY 2.0. British sailors made a lot of mistakes on these shores, but the one that stuck was geological. In 1825, they spotted sparkling crystals in the sand near a massive tuff cone on Oahu's southeastern coast and declared them diamonds. The crystals were volcanic calcite, worthless by any jeweler's measure, but the name Diamond Head endured. The Hawaiians had their own name for the landmark: Leahi, derived from lae (browridge or promontory) and ahi (tuna), because the ridgeline traces the same clean arc as a yellowfin's dorsal fin. Stand on Waikiki Beach and look east, and you will see it immediately. The silhouette is unmistakable, a profile that has become shorthand for Hawaii itself.

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Image: Simon_sees from Australia | CC BY 2.0

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/b/diamond-head-hawaii-wp/87zb-diamond-head-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Diamond Head: Fire and Ash, 400,000 Years Ago https://qualla.com/diamond-head-hawaii/ Photo credit Pickle the cool, CC BY-SA 4.0. Diamond Head belongs to the Honolulu Volcanic Series, a chain of eruptions that sculpted southeastern Oahu long after the Koolau Volcano had gone quiet. The Koolau Range is roughly 2.6 million years old; Diamond Head, by contrast, is an adolescent at 400,000 to 500,000 years. The...

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Image: Pickle the cool | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/b/diamond-head-hawaii-wp/87zb-diamond-head-fire-and-ash-400-000-years-ago.mp3 0:06 2 full Diamond Head: Guns in the Crater https://qualla.com/diamond-head-hawaii/ Photo credit US and Hawaii State Goverments, Public domain. The U.S. military recognized what the Hawaiians had always known: the crater commands the coastline. Fort Ruger, established on Diamond Head's slopes, became the first American military reservation in Hawaii. In 1908, the Army built a trail from the crater floor to the summit as ...

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Image: US and Hawaii State Goverments | Public domain

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/b/diamond-head-hawaii-wp/87zb-diamond-head-guns-in-the-crater.mp3 0:06 3 full Diamond Head: Hawaii's Woodstock https://qualla.com/diamond-head-hawaii/ Photo credit Bayshoremods, CC BY-SA 3.0. On New Year's Day 1969, the crater floor became a concert venue. The Diamond Head Crater Festivals, nicknamed Hawaii's Woodstock, drew over 75,000 people for daylong celebrations featuring the Grateful Dead, Santana, Journey, Styx, and War alongside Hawaiian artists like Cecilio ...

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Image: Bayshoremods | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/b/diamond-head-hawaii-wp/87zb-diamond-head-hawaiis-woodstock.mp3 0:06 4 full Diamond Head: The Climb Today https://qualla.com/diamond-head-hawaii/ Photo credit Coast Guard, Public domain. Diamond Head was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1968 and remains a State Monument. The 0.8-mile trail to the summit is one of the most popular hikes on Oahu, requiring advance online reservations for non-residents and a small fee. The path follows the original 1908 milit...

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Image: Coast Guard | Public domain

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/b/diamond-head-hawaii-wp/87zb-diamond-head-the-climb-today.mp3 0:06 5 full