According to Unesco, ‘The well preserved heiau shrines on Nihoa and Mokumanamana, and their associated still living traditions are both distinctive to Hawai’i but, positioned within a wider 3,000 year old Pacific/Polynesian marae-ahu cultural continuum, they can be seen as an exceptional testimony to the strong cultural affiliation between Hawai’i, Tahiti and the Marquesas, resulting from long periods of migration…’. It is claimed that being a part of the major portion of the world’s longest and oldest volcanic chain, Papahānaumokuākea offers a scientific understanding of plate tectonics and hotspots.

‘Papahānaumokuākea is the name given to a vast and isolated linear cluster of small, low lying islands and atolls, with their surrounding ocean, extending some 1,931 kilometres to the north west of the main Hawaiian Archipelago, located in the north-central Pacific Ocean.

The vibrant and persistent human beliefs associated with Papahānaumokuākea is fundamental to human civilization that centres around ‘heiau’ ; marae-ahu(or mara–eahu or mar–aeahu), such as those found in Raiatea, the ‘centre’ of Polynesia, together define the origin of human belief prior to the Great Flood tha separated all from their respective ancient homeland.

These living traditions of the Hawaiians which connect Papahānaumokuākea with sacred realms of life and death, find heiau shrines of Nihoa and Mokumanamana glorious to the pristine islands beyond to the north-west.

Papahānaumokuākea—or Papa-hanau-mokua-kea identifies the ‘Leader’ means ‘papa’ as same as Pope or Bapa means ‘father’; –hanau refers to the ‘clan’ of the ‘Leader’ who belonged to the Anu/On/Hun/Han/Hanu tribe or the Yue-chi people; –mokua means ‘muksha’ or ‘main’ leader; the word muksha like Moses(Hebrew msh) refers to the word moksha means ‘salvation’; the leader who helps in achieving salvation is called ‘mukshia or mukshya’; or ‘main’ or the most undisputed leader;

Heiau—It means God Yahweh, God of Salvation;

Nihoa—It means ‘Noah’ who helped to survive the Flood;

Mokumanamana—or Moku–ma–namana or Moku–ma–Ramana means ‘Makka’ means ‘god of ‘moksha’ at Baku; God at Baku is Yahweh; but ‘Ma’ means ‘Mother’ Goddess at Baku refers to Mother ‘Sri Mata’;

marae-ahu—or mara-eahu; it means the same; mara means the ‘evil force’ and it is associated with Yahweh. Mara tried to attack Yahweh but failed.

Raiatea—-or Rai-atea refers to the land of Rai at atea means ‘Mt Ita’ or Wutu;

The large area of the property encompasses a multitude of habitats, ranging from 4,600 m below sea level to 275 m above sea level, including abyssal areas, seamounts and submerged banks, coral reefs, shallow lagoons, littoral shores, dunes, dry grasslands and shrublands and a hypersaline lake. The monument supports 7,000 species including hawksbill sea turtle, green sea turtle, and the Hawaiian monk seal, the Laysan, Nihoa finches, the Nihoa millerbirds, Laysan Albatross and Laysan duck etc.; numerous species of plants include the Pritchardia plants;