Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a three-part story on the future of Mahaulepu on the South Shore. The barren, grass headlands of Pao‘o Point gives one the feeling of bearing witness to the Kaua‘i that was before man
Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a three-part story on the future of Mahaulepu on the South Shore.
The barren, grass headlands of Pao‘o Point gives one the feeling of bearing witness to the Kaua‘i that was before man arrived and tied his existence to the island centuries ago. The ragged ridgelines of the Hoary Head Range tell of the volcanic origins of the island nearly 5 million years ago.
A nearby limestone sinkhole holds a species of blind spider found only on Kaua‘i. Birds and plants endemic to Kaua‘i left behind fossilized traces in the limestone, in the layers of sediment excavated by modern day researchers.
The area, known as Mahaulepu, is constantly eroded by the wind and sea yet holds securely secrets of man’s presence upon it. Thousands of warriors are said to be buried in the dunes, the result of a failed attempt to conquer Kaua‘i in the 1300s.
Creatures of varying shape and size have spread out and retreated like the tides in tune with the ebb and flow of humans on the area. Shearwaters, a type of seabird, used to nest on the Maha-ulepu headlands, but have been driven to the interior mountains of Kaua‘i. Some believe the shearwaters may be nesting again along the headlands soon.
Gazing out on the tableau that is Mahaulepu the illusion of isolation is not hard to conjure, yet is just as easily dispelled by the mark of man evident everywhere. Shattered glass reflects sunlight from every direction. Whole bottles are strewn here and there offering shelter to various insects attracted to the hollow cave-like structures. Discarded nets and other detritus dot the beaches.
The area is an intricate mix of man and nature, a complex network of land ownership, conservation group efforts, critical habitat designations and lease agreements.
One of the more obvious manifestations of the human definition of the area exists as a yellow gate that is locked promptly at 7:15 p.m. every day. The gate, on Weliweli Road near the Poipu Bay Golf Course, bars access on the only road to the area and appeared about four months ago said Beryl Blaich, coordinator of Malama Mahaulepu, a resident group whose mission is to preserve the area.
The gate by its presence defines the primary struggle for those hoping to preserve the area — it is mostly private property and the landowners can close the gate permanently if they wish.
“There are questions about the implications of the new gate,” Blaich said. “We are concerned and we have expressed that concern to them and they are considering our concerns.”
“They” are Grove Farm, the owners of the 1,200 acres that form the Mahaulepu, as well as 40,000 acres island-wide. Grove Farm has never hidden its intention to eventually develop the area.
“There has never been a time where there wasn’t some sort of resort envisioned since the early 1970s,” said Blaich.
In 1973 the first organized resident group formed to protect the area and managed to defeat a developers plans for several hotels.
“They were making illegal agreements and it was printed in the newspaper and the Land Use Commission stopped it,” said David Chang, president of Malama Mahaulepu, who was 23 years old then.
Leadership Homes had proposed four hotels, four golf courses, 2,667 condo units and 952 single-family homes at Mahaulepu on Grove Farm property. The State Land Use Commission denied the permit applications.
If it wasn’t for Ohana O Mahaulepu, Chang said, the area would be “wall-to-wall resorts.”
In the late 1980s the Takinaka Corporation built the Hyatt Regency Poipu and it’s adjoining golf course on Grove Farm property. The Malama group attempted to stop the golf course, but succeeded only in securing public access across it to reach the beach.
Even though golf courses were not allowed on agriculture zoned land, the Supreme Court decision reversed the lawsuit challenging the zoning and allowed the golf course.
Tomorrow, Part 2 explores the history of the land under Grove Farm ownership, and the continuing efforts of Grove Farm, Malama Mahaulepu and other interested parties to arrive at a mutually satisfactory arrangement.
• Adam Harju, editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 227) or aharju@kauaipubco.com.
