Kailua is located at Kailua Bay on the windward coast of the Oahu Island. It is 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Honolulu - over Nu'uanu Pali, the tallest mountain peak in the Ko'olau mountain range. In the Hawaiian language Kailua means "two seas," or "two currents," a contraction of the words kai (meaning sea or sea water) and 'elua (meaning two); it is so named because of the two lagoons in the district or the two currents which run through Kailua Bay.