1906. Mamalahoa Hwy., between mile markers 102 and 103, Kealia
Like many other Hawaiian churches, Pukaana evokes New England as refracted through the Hawaiian missionary experience. The step up from the street, the repeated gables of the portico and roof, and the centered belfry and spire establish a sequence of verticals. The interior features a raised pulpit with a balustraded choir behind. The gable-roofed luau hall on the side of the property underwent a substantial remodeling in 2003. This Hawaiian congregation was formed in 1849 and worshipped in a stone church down at the beach at Hookena. With the mauka movement of the population, the old church was abandoned and this one erected. The former stone church now stands as a ruin. The name “Pukaana” translates as “the exodus.”