Resort History

The Story Of Kapalua Bay

The legendary beauty on Maui's serene, northwest end known as Kapalua Resort, derived from the ancient Hawaiian story which tells of the island's separation into the seven ahupua'a (land divisions): Honolua, Honokahua, Honokoawai, Honokohau, Kahana, Mahinahina and Mailepai. These pie slices, starting from the forest and ending at sea, gave each person elevated access to various crops and served as a perfect outlet to the ocean for fishing. The bays and beaches soon joined to form Honolua Ranch - what is now known as Kapalua Resort.

The modern history of Kapalua Resort began in 1836 when Dr. Dwight Baldwin traveled to Hawaii and settled on Maui shortly after the deaths of King Kamehameha and his son Prince Liholiho. There, Dr. Baldwin spent 17 years serving the land and people not only as a reverend, but also as Government Physician for the surrounding islands of Lanai and Molokai. He played an active role during the smallpox epidemic of 1853 and helped contain the outbreak. As a result of his contributions to the people, he was rewarded with a royal grant of 2,675 acres, which included Mahinahina and Kahana, for farming and grazing. Through additional grants, purchases and merges of the remaining ahupua'a, Honolua Ranch grew to 23,000 acres by 1902.

Between 1850 and 1902, Dwight's son, Henry Perrine Baldwin, realized the area's rich agricultural potential with the help of a Scotsman named David Thomas "D.T." Fleming, an avid horticulturist. Together, they planted acres of coffee beans, taro, aloe and mango. In addition, it was Fleming who planted the historic and majestic Cook and Norfolk pines that adorn the Kapalua roads.

In 1912, Fleming and H.P. Baldwin's son, Harry, planted the first 20 acres of pineapple fields. Over the next three decades, the Honolua Ranch became Honolua Plantation.

In 1932, Maui Pineapple Company was founded and headed by J. Walter Cameron, husband to H.P. Baldwin's granddaughter, Frances. Their son, Colin Cameron, envisioned Kapalua Resort and created the enduring legacy of Pu'u Kukui Preserve, dedicated to conserving the lands, which serves as backdrop to Kapalua Resort, and home to plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet.

Colin Cameron and Maui Land & Pineapple granted nearly 9,000 acres of West Maui to The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii in 1992, creating the largest privately owned nature preserve in the state.

Today, more than a century after Henry Perrine Baldwin cast his eyes on Honolua, Kapalua Resort and Maui & Pineapple Company, Inc. continue to change and grow, looking to the future while embracing and honoring Hawaiian heritage.