History of the Land
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…