according to hawaiian folklore, a giant lizard (“mo’o” in the hawaiian language) once protected this area of the island. one day, a young man named liko was swimming in a body of water, but the giant lizard saw liko as danger, so she attacked him. liko then jumped into the ocean, luring the lizard in the water. liko then swam through a small lava tube in the rocks leading to the surface. the lizard followed liko and got stuck in the lava tube, or blowhole. today, you can hear the lizard's roar every time the spouting horn blowhole blasts into the air.