History of the Land
If you travel from the western border of Kaupo at Waiopai going east, you will see the land gradually transform from arid grassland to sparse trees and finally to dense forests. However, nearly every tree that you see along the way is an invasive species introduced since Westerners arrived. These include kiawe, christmas berry, koa…
Petroglyphs (images pecked or incised in stone) are present throughout Hawaiian archipelago, most notably on the Big Island, which contains tens of thousands of examples. The ancient Hawaiian artists who created these images were thoughtful in choosing locations for petroglyphs and pictographs (painted images). As archaeologist Sidsel Millerstrom has noted, “Petroglyphs were not randomly placed…
In most areas of old Hawaii, taro was the main crop. But in Kaupo, sweet potato was king. In fact, based on sheer amount of sweet potato field remains, Archaeologists Pat Kirch and others have estimated that the area could have had a population of up to 17,000 people at its peak. In May 1922,…
Kaupo is full of stories of chiefs during the period just before and after Western contact. In the early 1700s, Maui chief Kekaulike made Kaupo his royal seat. Soon after, Kaupo was a battleground between the chiefs of Maui and Hawaii Island. Kamehameha I, the first ruler of all the Hawaiian islands, first rose to…
In November 2005, archaeologist Patrick V. Kirch was exploring the Kaeke region in the uplands of Nuu when he came upon a curious assortment of basalt stones and flakes scattered on the ground. He immediately recognized the site as a place where native Hawaiians had fashioned adzes, the tools used to cut and shape wood….
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…