History of the Land
Although the Hawaiian islands are surrounded by saltwater, salt was not readily available everywhere in the past. On each island, only select areas had just the right conditions for saltmaking. On Maui, this included Nuu Bay in western Kaupo. Today, we walk though store aisles filled with cheap, industrially made salt, bemused by the arduous…
("Na Mea Hou o Maui Hikina.", Nupepa Kuokoa, October 26, 1878) About Kaupo.—There is a great deal of trouble in this land currently. The rain is not falling. The land is dry. It is as if God has set Kipahulu as the boundary of his mercy: in Kaupo there is no rain, but in Kipahulu…
In the late 1700s, the Hawaiian archipelago was consumed by war as the rulers of each island vied for control. In 1775, just as British and Americans began the first battles of the Revolutionary War, so did fighting rage across Kaupo in the seaside fields near Kalaeokailio. Kalaeokailio, Kaupo. The forces of Maui and Hawaii…
The Death of Mr. J. Naloloa. ("Ka Make o Mr. J. Naloloa", Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, September 30, 1865) DEAR EDITOR; GREETINGS:—We are filled with an empty heart by the death of our beloved colleague Joseph Naloloa at Lahaina on the 18th of this month. Mr. Naloloa spent many years in Lahaina as a teacher. He…
("Na Mea Hou Kuloko", Ke Au Okoa, September 7, 1871) Joshua Ahulii of Pukaauhuhu, Kaupo, Maui, has written to us about heavy rains and winds on Maui. The waters took so much mud out to sea that it looked like newly created land. Off Waiopai in Kaupo, the size of the mud patch was the…
Holding an Inquest Coroner Enquires Cause of Death of Old Hawaiian. (Maui News, October 2, 1909) Sheriff Saffery [William Edward Saffery] empannelled a coroners jury Thursday to enquire into the cause of death of an Hawaiian by the name of Ben Amina Kapanaia who died at the Malulani Hospital on the 21st of September from…
Hawaii News ("Nu hou Hawaii", Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, December 17, 1892) Death carried away Mrs. Sarah Mutch from the couple’s home in Kalihi on December 12 after many years of sickness. She was only 26 years old. Kaupo was her homeland, and Maunaolu was her home of higher learning. Below is the obituary in the…
("Kamahele Komo Pukaaniani", Ka Makaainana, August 5, 1895) The night of July 9 caused great alarm for those sleeping in the house of B. K. Kaiwiaea [Benjamin Kahoopai Kaiwiaea] because of a strange noise at a bedroom window. Kaiwiaea was in Kaupo surveying, so his wife [Rachael Kekela Kaiwiaea] was the only one sleeping in…
(Maui News, November 24, 1916) One of the most attractive exhibits at the Maui County Fair will be a series of canvases painted by D. Howard Hitchcock, dean of Hawaiian artists. With one exception they are paintings of Maui scenery, the fruits of Mr. Hitchcock’s summer camping tour through the wonderland of Haleakala and its…
Water has always been a challenge in Kaupo. The district lies in the rain shadow of Haleakala, with no permanent streams in the lower, habitable zone. Because of this, springs served as the main source of water until water systems were installed in the early 1900s. Over a dozen springs dotted the Kaupo landscape. In…