Protected Lands: Maui
Hāwea Point, Honokahua, Kāʻanapali
Size: 2 acres
Year Protected: 2004
Land Protection Strategy: HILT Conservation Easement
Conservation Values: Seabird nesting protection, public shoreline access, cultural sites
Land Features: Marine shoreline, coastal bluffs
About Hāwea Point
Situated in the ahupua‘a of Honokahua, HILT’s conservation easement provides the public with access along a coastal trail on privately-owned land. HILT’s conservation easement also protects important nesting and breeding habitat for the endangered ‘Ua‘u Kani (wedge-tailed shearwater). Thanks to the efforts of a local Nāpili resident, Isao Nakagawa, this colony grew from a handful of ‘Ua‘u Kani in the early 2000's to over 400. Then, Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project began monitoring the ʻUaʻu Kani colony and enhancing their habitat by removing invasive species. Today, Hawaiʻi Land Trust, Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project, and the Kapalua Resort Association work together to steward this special place. There are now about 500 nesting pairs of ʻUaʻu Kani at Hāwea.
The conservation easement was originally granted to a community group Maui Open Space Trust, and in 2004, the group transferred the conservation easement to Maui Coastal Land Trust. In 2011, Maui Coastal Land Trust, and land trusts on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, and Kauaʻi, merged to form Hawaiʻi Land Trust.
Hāwea Point was likely named after the famous drum Hāwea brought by La‘amaikahiki from Kahiki. Area descendants have shared that the area has vast cultural history, many burials that need to be respected and left alone, and a fragile marine environment. Samuel Kamakau suggests that Hāwea Point was sacred to Hewahewa, Kamehameha I’s kahuna. We welcome the public to walk the coastal trail at Hāwea being mindful to stay on the trail to avoid the ground burrows of the ʻUaʻu Kani, and also ask that everyone act respectfully of the land, sea, and others enjoying Hāwea.
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