Ahu Heʻe Pālaha

Upon arrival at Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge on Maui, you may notice an addition near the entry to Kapoho. This ahu, or altar, was built and consecrated this summer so that as we welcome groups of learners back, we have a space to pause, initiate conversation and sharing, and set intentions for the day ahead. 

As we readied for the building of the ahu, my friend and HILT volunteer ʻŪlili Quenga and I knew we needed to take the time to set our intentions and cleanse with a hiʻuwai at sunrise. The ʻOʻopu winds were nowhere to be found and the sea was so calm that there were no waves at all at Kahāhāwai, Waiheʻe’s surf break.  Living at Kapoho in Waiheʻe Refuge this year, Iʻve never seen the water so clear. I could see every grain of sand below the water.

As we got to work on building the ahu and discussed how to set each pōhaku in alignment with the significant directions, my mom, Pūlama Collier, noticed a single ʻiwa directly above us showing us the direction we needed as it soared gracefully toward Maunaihi; the sand dunes that surround Kapoho, and Mauna Kahālāwai. 

This ahu, that now greets you at the entry to the former Kapoho village, is intentionally constructed to allow for the vital and regenerative flow of energy from the sun. This space will allow for gathering, and will reverberate healing intentions as the catalyst to shared action and purpose that brings about change and Native Hawaiian understanding of aloha as essence in accord with humanity and environment. 

Dedicated to Kanaloa, Ahu Heʻe Pālaha was consecrated on June 20, 2021, the summer solstice, Ke Ao Polohiwa a Kāne, allowing us to set our intentions for the coming season and further strengthen our reciprocal relationship with Waiheʻe.

- Kiaʻi Collier, Waiheʻe Steward