Our Plantation Heritage
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Our Plantation Heritage
Kapalua Resort honors its plantation heritage by reaching to its past for inspiration. A sense of wellness and sustainability permeates everyday life, illustrated by eco-friendly development practices, pristine natural beauty and holistic farming.
The Evolution of
Kapalua Resort
In the beginning, all Hawaiian lands were divided into ahupua‘a, pie slices going from forest to sea, giving each person access to various elevations for different crops, and an outlet to the ocean for fishing. The seven ahupua‘a of Honolua, Honokahua, Honokowai, Honokohau, Kahana, Mahinahina and Mailepai, with their perfect bays and beaches, later were joined to form Honolua Ranch, and what is now known as Kapalua Resort.
Its modern history began in 1836 when Dr. Dwight Baldwin came to Hawaii and settled on Maui. After 17 years of serving the land and people, he was rewarded a royal grant of 2,675 acres, the lands of the Mahinahina and Kahana ahupua‘a, for farming and grazing. Through additional grants, purchases, and mergers, the land known as Honolua Ranch grew to 24,000 acres by 1902.
Between 1889 and 1902, Dwight’s son, Henry Perrine Baldwin, tapped the area’s rich agricultural potential with the help of a Scotsman named David Thomas Fleming, an avid horticulturist.
Today, more than a century after Henry Perrine Baldwin cast his eyes on Honolua, Kapalua Resort and Maui Land & Pineapple Company continue to change and grow, looking to the future while embracing and honoring Hawaiian heritage.
