Kipahulu, Hawaii

Kīpahulu is one of the districts (Hawaiian: moku) of Maui, Hawai'i. Kīpahulu is a sustainable farm community. Kīpahulu is a very remote area and doesn't have public electric or water utilities. The only public utility is telephone. Water is taken from the streams coming down from the mountain.

Location and Access

Kīpahulu is unincorporated and is located in the southeastern part of Maui, south of Hāna and east of Kaupō. The only land access to the area is from north by Hana Highway driving about 45 minutes past Hāna or from west by highway 31 which is currently closed west of Kīpahulu due to the earthquake damage [Highway 31 (Piilani Highway) [http://www.hawaiihighways.com/photos-Piilani-Hwy.htm] ] . Highway 31 (Piilani Highway) is the only major road in Kīpahulu and all populated areas are located along this road.

History

The first written description of Kīpahulu was made by La Pérouse in 1786 while sailing along the southeast coast of Maui in search of a place to drop anchor::I coasted along its shore at a distance of a league (several miles).... We beheld water falling in cascades... the inhabitants, which are so numerous that a space of 3-4 leagues may be taken for a single village. The huts are on the coast so that the habitable part of the island is less than one half of a league. After passing Kaupo no more waterfalls are seen, and villages are fewer.

Kīpahulu lowlands were once heavily populated. The area held hundreds of farm sites and agricultural terraces that could support hundreds of people. In nearby coastal area surveys, over 700 archeological features have been found in the 2008 acres surveyed thus far. The features consist of stone mounds and walls and earthen terraces.

Coastal villages consisted of housing clusters for extended families (Hawaiian: 'ohana) and included living quarters, cook houses, and sheds used for work, storage, and canoes. More dwellings, used occasionally, were located farther upland throughout the cultivated area. All structures were single story, one room wood frame buildings with thatched walls and roofs. Small stone shrines were associated with village sites.

With the development of the whaling industry on the island in 1880s Kīpahulu population started to decline as people moved to main whaling ports like Lāhainā.

In the early 1900s, one of the regular ports of call for the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company was Kīpahulu. Steamships provided passenger service around Maui and between the islands. Kīpahulu Landing also provided a way for growers and ranchers to ship their goods to markets. Today the land where Kīpahulu Landing was is private but protected by The Nature Conservancy. [A Historic Piece of Kīpahulu Is Preserved [http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/hawaii/press/press3169.html] ] [Conservancy’s Maui sale is designer deal [http://starbulletin.com/2007/10/21/news/story04.html] ]

Attractions

* Grave of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh who is buried on the grounds of Palapala Ho'omau Church
* Kipahulu district of the Haleakala National Park
* Waimoku Falls and a Pipiwai hiking trail leading to it [Waimoku Falls [http://www.hawaii-guide.com/index.php/maui/spot/waimoku_falls/] ]
* Tropical fruit stand with the bicycle-powered blender (since there is no electricity in Kipahulu)

Haleakala National Park

Part of Kīpahulu is a section of Haleakala National Park. Park owns 3-4 miles of coastline and maintains the fee parking area and a campground. [Kipahulu district of the Haleakala National Park [http://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/kipahulu.htm] ]

The Oheo Gulch, popularly referred to as the "Seven Sacred Pools of Hana", is located in the Kīpahulu area inside Haleakala National Park. While the name suggests that only seven pools exist, in actuality there are dozens of pools and waterfalls scattered throughout the area of the "Sacred Pools." A popular tourist attraction, the "Sacred Pools" attract many visitors. Cliff jumping, bridge jumping, swimming, and hiking comprise some of the outdoor activities that visitors enjoy.

References