Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Honokowai Valley
Inaccessible to the general public, this valley can only be reached by crossing private land
as part of a volunteer group which meets on Saturday mornings at 9am at the Pu'ukoli'i
train station (junction of Pu'ukoli'i Road and Honoapi'ilani Highway). Easily visible from
the highway as a deep cleft in the mountainside, Honokowai Valley was once home to a
thriving community of up to 600 different families who farmed, hunted, and built
pili
grass
shelters in the deep and protected recesses of the valley during ancient Hawaiian times.
When the streams were diverted for sugarcane in the 1800s, however, the water which
once irrigated the taro
lo'i
was no longer available for farming. Having been robbed of
their vital life source, the valley residents abandoned their homes and left to establish a life
elsewhere. For 100 years, this valley sat empty, neglected, and essentially forgotten. For-
eign plant species made their in and crowded out the native species which had flourished
for decades, and invasive animals such as feral cats and mongooses preyed upon native
bird species and drove them to the brink of extinction. This five-mile-long valley running
from the shoreline into the heart of Mauna Kahalawai was crumbling beneath the elements
it once harnessed to survive.
Enter Ed and Puanani Lindsey, two native Hawaiian land activists who helped establish
the group Maui Cultural Lands in 2002. Recognizing the inseparable relationship between
the health of the land and the preservation of culture, the duo worked with Ka'anapali land
companies to act as stewards of the land and gradually return the valley to its glory. The in-
vasive species would be removed, endemic species would be planted, and life would once
again begin to flourish. Legions of volunteers have donated their efforts to the cause since
the founding of the program. Even with the passing of Ed Lindsey in 2009, his vision of
a healthy and restored valley continues to live on. Rock walls once completely overgrown
have since been uncovered, and for a mile-long stretch of the valley it's not only possible
to see what the village would have looked like, but also to make out the irrigation and
farming systems which provided life for the community. The valley is a living museum,
and all visitors who choose to volunteer are given a short walk around it and are taught the
area's cultural significance. All those interested in volunteering can find out more inform-
ation by contacting the Pacific Whale Foundation's Volunteering on Vacation program at
800/942-5311, ext. 1, or by reading more online at
volunteersonvacation.org
.
