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Hawaii County Route 132

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Hawaii County Route 132 is a 7.8-mile highway in the Lower Puna Coast area of the Big Island.  The highway begins at Hawaii Route 130 near Pahoa and follows Pahoa-Kapoho Road east to the now destroyed junction with Hawaii County Route 137.  Hawaii County Route 132 prior the eruption of 1960 once continued east to point Cape Kumukahi.  Portions of the highway near Kapoho were covered by lava from the 2018 Lower Puna Eruption in the Kapoho area and have recently been rebuilt.  

This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking here. 




Part 1; the history of Hawaii County Route 132

In 1955 the Hawaii Route System was expanded to the Big Island.  Hawaii Route 132 was established as running along Pahoa-Kapoho Road from Hawaii Route 13 in Pahoa east to Cape Kumukahi.  According to Oscar Voss's hawaiihighways.com the original scale of Hawaii Route 132 was 9.4 miles.  

Hawaii Route 132 can be seen on the 1959 Gousha Highway map of Hawaii.  


Hawaii Route 132 was ultimately transferred to Hawaii County following Hawaii becoming the fiftieth state on August 21, 1959.  On January 12, 1960, a series of earthquakes began in Kapoho which culminated in an eruption (out of what is now Kapoho Crater) the next day.  On January 28th, lava entered Kapoho itself and destroyed most of the town.  The eruption also destroyed Hawaii County Route 132 east of Hawaii County Route 137 towards Kumukahi Point.  

Following the 1960 eruption the segment of Hawaii County Route 132 east of Hawaii County Route 137 was abandoned.   The segment of the highway in Kapoho itself was repaired for Hawaii County at the behest of the Hawaii Department of Transportation.  

The 1965 United States Geological Survey map of Kapoho displays the rebuilt Hawaii County Route 132 terminating at Hawaii County Route 137.  Kapoho more or less is just seen as a name on the map next to Kapoho Crater.  The so-called "Green Lake" can be seen withing Kapoho Crater itself. 


During May 2018 the East Rift Zone of Kilauea began to erupt through numerous fissures near Kapoho.  On May 19th lava began covering Hawaii County Route 137 and flowing into the Pacific Ocean.  The flows turned northeast and covered Hawaii County Route 132 on May 29th.  The subdivisions of Kapoho Beach Lots and Vacation Land Hawaii were both destroyed by the eruptions.  The Green Lake withing Kapoho Crater was boiled away by lava during early June.  Eruption activity subsided by August 2018 after almost three months.

Hawaii County Route 132 was subsequently rebuilt to where it once terminated at Hawaii County Route 137.  The purpose of Hawaii County Route 132 being reconstructed was to provide roadway access to northbound Kalapana-Kapoho Road.  Hawaii County Route 137 now terminates near Issac Hale Park east of Pohoiki Road. 



Part 2; a drive on Hawaii County Route 132

Hawaii County Route 132 eastbound can be seen below approaching Pohoiki Road (Josh Schmid photos).  Pohoiki Road south to Hawaii County Route 137 has been mostly destroyed by lava flow.  




Hawaii County Route 132 now crosses over a lava field where Kapoho once stood (Josh Schmid photos).  Kapoho was once located on the Hawaii Consolidated Railway which connected the sugar cane community to Hilo.







Hawaii County Route 132 terminates at Kalapana-Kapoho Road.  The now destroyed portion of Hawaii County Route 137 would have begun on the right.  Hawaii County Route 132 once continued straight towards Cape Kumukahi. 


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