History of the Land
On April 4, 1860, an ad in the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Hae Hawaii marked a momentous change for the history of Kaupo: "Manuokawai. SAILING REGULARLY TO LAHAINA, Kohala, Kaupo, and Kawaihae. A fine, seaworthy, fast ship. There are no problems with this ship, as the captain takes good care. Fares are reasonable for passengers, animals…
There were three trails to Kaupo in the early 1900s, but the Kipahulu trail was the main access point for Kaupo residents and visitors. Although the Kipahulu trail covered rough terrain, the alternate paths through Kahikinui or Kaupo Gap took longer, and boats came to Kaupo only once a month. There are many accounts of…
Even today, getting to Kaupo isn’t exactly easy. It takes about 2 to 3 hours from Kahului, the main town on Maui, depending on whether you drive on the nausea-inducing north road through Hana or on the rutted “backside” road through Ulupalakua. But before the roads to Kaupo were completed in the 1930s-1940s, it was…
In May 1922, Bishop Museum researchers Kenneth Emory and Thomas Maunupau visited Kaupo to document historical sites in the area. Maunupau wrote an account in Hawaiian of the journey that was published in serial form in the newspaper Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. This was later reprinted and translated in the book Huakai Makaikai a Kaupo, Maui….
When Westerners made contact with Hawaii in the 1770s, Kaupo was hitting its stride. In the early 1700s, Kekaulike, the ruler of Maui, moved his royal court from Wailuku to Kaupo. Kaupo is just across a channel from Hawaii Island, which was Maui’s nemesis at the time. This strife continued on through Maui’s subsequent rulers…
As discussed in the blog post on the Boundaries of Kaupo, the district originates in Haleakala Crater at a stone called Pohaku Palahala and fans south, down the mountain to the east and west. There is a general consensus that the eastern boundary is at Kalepa, which marks the eastern limit of Kaupo and the…
Kaupo is one of the 12 traditional land districts of Maui, and one of eight districts that originate at Pohaku Palaha (Broad Stone) in Haleakala crater, regarded as the center of the island. A stylized drawing showing the traditional districts of Maui is seen below, with Kaupo in pink at the bottom right. If the…