Ke Ao Hali‘i board members and Hana community members welcome the sunrise at Hana wharf overlooking Puu Kauiki on March 28, the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the nonprofit. On Monday, the organization announced that it had received a donation of 94 acres of coastal Hana land from HRP-Hana LLC to be cared for in perpetuity. Photo courtesy Ke Ao Hali‘i

The Maui News

A landowner has donated 94 acres and $100,000 to a Hana-based nonprofit to care for the coastal lands that include the iconic hill overlooking the birthplace of Queen Ka’ahumanu.

HRP-Hana LLC, formerly known as Hana Ranch Partners LLC, made the donation to Ke Ao Hali’i on March 29, marking the final phase of a multiyear effort between two nonprofits, Maui County and the state to purchase and permanently preserve a total of 190 acres of land along the Hana coastline, Ke Ao Hali’i said Monday.

“We are extremely grateful to HRP for the donation of these two special places, and for working with us over the last several years to ensure the protection of all of these precious coastal lands in Hana, to enable these lands to return to community management,” Scott Crawford, chairperson of Ke Ao Hali’i’s board of directors, said in a news release Monday. “It is the intention of Ke Ao Hali’i that these lands be not only protected in perpetuity, but also be used and enjoyed by the people of Hana as places to feed ourselves both physically and spiritually, and to pass along to our future generations the traditional values, practices and connections to place.”

The 94 acres encompass two important locations in Hana, one of which is Puu Kauiki, the hill that overlooks Kapueokahi, also known as Hana Bay, famed as the birthplace of Queen Ka’ahumanu, and as a fortress that protected Hana moku from forces invading from the sea, according to the nonprofit. The 33-acre parcel includes most of the hill itself, as well as the area above Hana Beach Park where the Akule Hale is located.

Ke Ao Hali’i plans to bring together a hui of people and organizations who have a close relationship with this wahi pana to help guide stewardship. One priority will be compiling research on the historical significance of the place, as well as recording the living memories of many residents who have lived and played around the hill for generations.

“Ka’uiki has held a place of great importance to me,” community member Kane Medeiros said. “As a young child I played at its base in the waters of Kapueokahi and the wharf, fished along its shores at Kaihalulu, and played on its back at Hana ball park. Now I raise my children amongst its presence.

“It has also been a guidance to home when out at sea fishing,” Medeiros added. “When I see Ka’uiki I know I am near home.”

The other important location is Makaalae, where the donation of about 60 acres includes seven parcels that were permanently protected via donated conservation easements by HRP to Hawai’i Land Trust in 2002 and 2014.

“HRP-Hana LLC has long realized that the Maka’alae and Ka’uiki Hill properties should be managed, enjoyed, and protected by the Hana community,” said Roy O’Connor, chairperson of HRP-Hana LLC. “We are glad that KAH has come forward to accept ownership and protection of these lands and their shoreline resources for the benefit of the Hana community.”

Over the last four years, Ke Ao Hali’i has previously acquired about 94 acres of land in Mokae and Makaalae, with funding from the state Legacy Land Conservation Program and the Maui County Open Space Program, according to the news release.

With the recent free donation by HRP, all of the undeveloped lands makai of Hana Highway from Haneoo Road and Hamoa Beach in the north to Waiohonu Stream and Waioka Pond in the south are now protected in perpetuity and under the ownership of Ke Ao Hali’i.

“As lineal descendants of the Kauimakaole ‘ohana in Maka’alae, we, along with our community, have witnessed the stewardship changes of the ‘aina over time,” said Sunnie Kaikala Makua, Ke Ao Hali’i board member. “However, one thing remains the same: the bones of our ancestors have been carefully placed and marked so they will never be forgotten. This not only connects us as lineal descendants to our ‘ohana but perhaps more importantly, it connects us to our ‘aina, our kulaiwi.

“The transfer of the remaining eight parcels that complete the conservation of the entire Maka’alae homestead for perpetuity is a monumental accomplishment in our lifetime,” Makua added. “We see this as a kahea, a call to reconnect to our ‘aina, not only for our ‘ohana but the entire community of Maui Hikina.”

The $100,000 donation will be used to support the management of the donated lands. Ke Ao Hali’i plans to create an endowment fund to help provide for ongoing costs of owning and stewarding the lands. To contribute to the overall management of the lands or to the endowment fund specifically, visit savehanacoast.org.