Kawaikini, Mountain summit in Kauai County, United States.

Kawaikini is the summit of Mount Waialeale, the inactive central shield volcano of Kauaʻi, and the island's highest point at 1,598 meters (5,243 feet). Steep, wet cliffs protect it to the north, east and south, while the dense, swampy forest of the Alakai Wilderness Preserve lies to the west.

Kawaikini is the summit of Kauaʻi's inactive central shield volcano, Mount Waiʻaleʻale, formed as the island's volcanic edifice was built up layer upon layer. The mountain now stands 1,598 metres above the sea, and its northeast slopes receive an average of about 10,700 mm of rain a year, among the wettest places on Earth. No historical event or human construction is recorded at the summit in the sources.

The name Kawaikini comes from the Hawaiian language and means 'the multitudinous water,' reflecting the powerful rainfalls that characterize this location.

Access is blocked to the west by the Alakai Wilderness Preserve, whose miles of dense, swampy forest slow any approach. Steep, wet cliffs protect the summit on the north, east and south. Rainfall regularly places Kauaʻi's peaks among the wettest on the National Climatic Data Center list, making most days poor for a summit attempt.

The rain gauge sits by Waiʻaleʻale lake, not on the summit itself, and its daily readings keep Kauaʻi's peaks on the National Climatic Data Center list of places with the highest average annual rainfall. The northeast slopes of Kawaikini average about 10,700 mm a year.