Historically, Loko o Mokuhinia was a 17-acre pond among West Maui’s large network of coastal wetlands. Located within the pond was Mokuʻula, an island reserved for high ranking aliʻi. Mokuʻula and Loko o Mokuhinia were highly sacred and culturally significant spaces. In the mid-19th century, water diversions to large-scale plantations in West Maui led to the eventual stagnation of Loko o Mokuhinia. In the early 20th century, the pond was filled and turned into Malu ʻUlu o Lele Park, and today Mokuʻula and Mokuhinia lie about 2 to 3 feet underground. The Native Hawaiian community and broader local community have been fighting for the restoration of Mokuʻula and Mokuhinia for decades. The 2023 Lahaina wildfires stimulated a renewed push for the revitalization of Mokuʻula and Mokuhinia for the healing and recovery of the Lahaina community and lāhui.

This project includes the creation of a cultural corridor and the restoration of Malu ʻUlu o Lele, Mokuʻula and the Loko o Mokuhinia Complex. A cultural corridor along the coast will restore, honor and protect culturally significant sites from Mokuʻula to the King’s Loʻi Kalo—including other sites such as, Loko o Nalehu, Loko o Kaluaʻehu and Hale Piula. Restoration of the three areas will create a sustainable and vibrant cultural space that remembers and highlights Hawaiian history, restores Lahaina’s natural wetland coastal ecosystem and cultural historical sites, supports the well-being of the Lahaina community, and, with the planting of ‘ulu trees throughout Lahaina, reduces urban heat index and provides a potential food source for generations to come. Benefits of this project include community healing, wetland and habitat restoration, restoration of Native Hawaiian places of historical and spiritual significance, flood mitigation and control, fire risk mitigation through green breaks and water breaks, increase in water flow and groundwater recharge, and a buffer between the ocean and the town to mitigate hazards of sea level rise, shoreline erosion and waves.

• Conduct discussions with lineal and generational descendants
• Identify funding sources for the planning process, community engagement, and technical studies needed
• Conduct community engagement which is necessary with Native Hawaiian groups and leaders, the Lahaina community, and the broader lāhui across Hawaiʻi to ensure that restoration efforts are community-led
• Study the existing environmental and hydrological conditions of the area
• Undertake a comprehensive master planning process for the public spaces and sites of historical and cultural significance in the Moku’ula and Loko
  • Mokuhinia area
• Analyze the area’s historical, cultural and archaeological resources
• Assess potential land acquisition or leasing to preserve resources in the area
• Identify funding sources for implementation and maintenance of the site