Only five or six of his paintings are known to exist along with two pen and ink sketches he left on the Volcano House guest registry book. Nāwahī's surviving works consisted of views of his native Hilo including Hilo Bay, Rainbow (Waiānuenue) Falls and the surrounding volcanoes of Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Kilauea. One of his paintings of the fiery caldera of Kīlauea was recognized by the Hawaiian government and sent to the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889.