The tallest mountain in the world, Mauna Kea does not seem so at first glance. Far from it. It is only when her feet at the bottom of the ocean are taken into account that you understand how much tallker she is than even Mount Everest. No matter her prominence, the great mountain is no less sacred. taller even than the Statue of Liberty and Great Britain's Big Ben clock tower, Hyperion is amongst the youngest of the coast redwoods. At just 800 years, and standing on his own hill at over 379 feet, Hyperion is considered by many to be the king of kings of all trees (though others would holdthat title if you went by either size or age).

       A dormant shield volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi, Mauna Kea's peak is 13,803 ft above sea level, making it the highest point in Hawaii and the island with the second highest high point, behind New Guinea, the world's largest tropical island with multiple peaks that are higher. The peak is about 125 ft higher than Mauna Loa, its more massive neighbor. Mauna Kea is unusually topographically prominent for its height: its prominence from sea level is fifteenth in the world among mountains, at 13,803 ft. Its prominence from under the ocean is 30,610 ft, rivaled only by Mount Everest. This dry prominence is greater than Everest's height above sea level of 29,032 ft, and some authorities have labeled Mauna Kea the tallest mountain in the world, from its underwater base. Mauna Kea is ranked 8th by topographic isolation.

       Mauna a Wakea is sacred to Native Hawaiians, standing as a mother deity that has cared for and provided for them for generations, as well as being central to their spiritual nd traditional lives. The United States Government has for years disrespected the importance of this to Native Hawaiians, going as far as placing telescopic observatories upon the sacred peak, and banning Native Hawaiians from going up themselves. The Mauna remains the center of the social, spiritual, and political battle for it to this day.

       (Wikipedia link)