Beloved Kapo
Kapolei reads as Kapo lei, a lei for Kapo — Kapo being a sister of Pele, a goddess associated with hula and with sorcery. The nearby crater Kohelepelepe carries a story about her directly.
The name belonged to the area long before the current development, which began in the 1990s.
Second city
Kapolei was planned as a counterweight to Honolulu, an attempt to put jobs on the western side of Oʻahu so that people would stop commuting the length of the island. It has grown into the fastest-expanding part of Oʻahu, and the rail line now terminates here.