Hawaii has a reverse waterfall.

Original photo by StefaNikolic/ iStock

Next time you feel like defying gravity, consider a trip to Hawaii — specifically the island of Oahu, which is home to a reverse waterfall. Also known as the Upside Down Waterfall, Waipuhia Falls sprays up Mount Konahuanui and can be seen from Route 61 (the Pali Highway). The striking effect, visible only during the wet season between November and March, is a result of the island’s strong trade winds. They blow in a northeasterly direction, and catch the water before it can reach the bottom, making it look as though the waterfall flows in reverse.

No building on Kauai can be taller than a coconut tree.

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There is indeed a law on the books prohibiting any building on the Garden Isle from being taller than a coconut palm, or roughly four stories.

Though rare, reverse waterfalls do occur elsewhere. Perhaps the most famous is Naneghat, a waterfall in Maharashtra, India, some three hours from Mumbai. It’s at its strongest during monsoon season, from June to September. Similar phenomena have also been observed in places as varied as Utah and Sydney, though most of these are one-off events caused by extreme conditions — not that that makes them any less fascinating to watch.

Numbers Don't Lie

Main islands in Hawaii

Total islands in Hawaii

137

Year Kamehameha became Hawaii’s first king

1810

U.S. president born in Hawaii (Barack Obama)

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Oahu’s nickname is ______.

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Oahu’s nickname is the Gathering Place.

The native language of Hawaii has only 13 letters.

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the Indigenous language of Hawaii, includes 13 letters — five vowel sounds and eight consonants. Today, it is an official language of Hawaii, along with English. However, the language was once banned — first in 1896, three years after Americans overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy in a coup. That ban was eventually reversed, but ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is still considered an endangered language. Today, however, it is experiencing something of a resurgence, in part thanks to the creation of Hawaiian language immersion schools in the 1980s.