The Puako site, which is only a few miles from Waikoloa, has nearly 4,000 documented petroglyphs, some likely to be at least 800 years old. There are some fantastic groupings of anthropomorphic figures here.
Some carvings have been lost to construction and fire-fighting activities, and the whole site is set within a dense forest of invasive kiawe trees. Some of the surviving carvings have been damaged by human activities, in some cases vandalism, but also by being loved too much. Taking rubbings or making casts harms the petroglyphs. But the site is still a remarkably concentrated instance of human creative activity, well worth the hike.
Much of the information on this and my other Hawaii pages is from the highly recommend Spirit of Place: Petroglyphs of Hawaii, by Georgia Lee and Edward Stasack. It seems to be the most authoritative account of what we know about the carvings, and the difficulties of knowing what we know. The extensive data it lays out reflects an impressive amount of research, and the authors also appreciate the aesthetic impact of the petroglyphs. The book is out of print and copies are expensive, but you might try the library.
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