Ka’a’awa, known as the Backlot of Hawaii, is a small town on the east coast of Koolauloa. The word Ka’a’awa in the Hawaiian language means “The yellow Wrasse fish. A’awa is the name of the yellow wrasses fish, which are quite a common breed of fish in the reefs of Hawaii. Since there are okinas (the apostrophe-like symbol) present between the vowels of the a’s of the name, each a of the three a’s that are together must be pronounced separately.
There are many notable attractions in Ka’a’awa. There is a beach park called Ka’a’awa Beach park, which is fronted by a broad fringing reef, which are perfect for those walks on the beach you’ve always dreamed about. There is another beach park called “Swanzy Beach Park” to the north. The Ka’a’awa Valley, which extends inland and is part of Kualoa Ranch, is a great attraction of Ka’a’awa. Kamehameha Highway goes right through Ka’a’awa. In the 2010 Census, it was found that the population of Ka’a’awa was 1,379 people on the 1.3 sq. Miles of territory (including water covered area), which gave a population density of about 1,100 people per sq. Mile. The Zip Code 96730 is used for Ka’a’awa.
It is one of the most filmed locations in all of the state of Hawaii, in which movies like Godzilla, 50 First Dates, Jurassic Park, George of the Jungle and even Pearl Harbor were filmed here. Scenes from the TV Series “Lost” were also shot here.