The Pu’u Kukui watershed extends across Mauna Kahālāwai on Mauiʻs West side.  

This pristine area is a vital water source for Mauiʻs community and one of the wettest spots on earth.  The intact native Hawaiian forest at Pu‘u Kukui works as a natural sponge to capture the water used by the entire West Maui community.  It is home to plant and animal species that exist nowhere else in Hawai‘i, or anywhere else. 

A small crew of paid staff and volunteers has been working over the last 30 years to protect the native forests and stop the threats from invasive plants and animals.  Our long-term goal is to restore damaged lands and expand the native forest from the summit of Pu‘u Kukui to the ocean at Honolua Bay.

Maui Land & Pineapple partners with Aloha Pu‘u Kukui as its long-time trusted conservation manager and contractor. The Aloha Pu‘u Kukui team leads Maui Land & Pineapple’s mauka to makai conservation and stewardship efforts across Maui Land & Pineapple’s lands. This partnership is vital to maintaining continuous and effective stewardship of Maui Land and Pineapple’s conservation areas.

History:

  • About 1000 A.D., the first settlers arrive from the Marquesas islands by canoe

  • In the 1500s, King Piʻilani united Maui and ruled in Lahaina. He is credited with the exansion of agriculture in the valleys of Honokohau, Honolua, Honokahua, Honokeana, and Honokowai.

  • In 1976, Hōkūleʻa departed from Honolua Bay on its first voyage to Tahiti, marking the renaissance of voyaging in Hawaii.

  • In 1978, Honolua Bay and Mokule‘ia Bay were designated a Marine Life Conservation District.

  • In 1988, Maui Land and Pineapple protected 8,304 acres of the Pu’u Kukui Watershed with a permanent conservation easement. 

  • In 2017, Hōkūle'a returned to Honolua Bay and volunteers planted 3,000 native trees and plants in Waokele o Honolua.

  • In 2021, the Honolua Valley conservation easement was created, protecting 791 acres in Honolua Valley and creating one of the few places in Hawaii where land is continuously protected from the summit to the sea.

  • In 2024, the non-profit Aloha Pu‘u Kukui was created as the organization focused on protecting and restoring the Pu'u Kukui watershed.

Aloha Pu‘u Kukui Leadership

Pōmaikaʻi Kaniaupio-Crozier, Director of Conservation

Pōmaikaʻi has led the conservation efforts in the Puʻu Kukui watershed for the last 14 years.  Fluent in Hawaiian and holding a Bachelorʻs degree in both Hawaiian Studies and Hawaiian language, Pōmaikaʻi combines traditional Hawaiian and western knowledge as he manages over 9,000 acres from the summit to the sea.  He is a director for the Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership and the West Maui Soil and Water Conservation District, a member of the West Maui Fire Task Force, the West Maui Ridge to Reef initiative and the Maui Conservation Alliance.

John Meier, President

John is the founder of Aloha Pu’u Kukui. He has been volunteering at Pu’u Kukui for five years and involved in conservation on Maui for the last 9 years. In 2021, John created the Honolua Valley conservation easement, permanently protecting 791 acres of land in Honolua Valley. He is on the advisory board for Trust for Public Land Hawaii and Maui Na Ala Hele. He started his career at Apple and worked for 20 years founding and growing software companies and has an AB in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

Cristina Schenk, Treasurer

Born and raised on Maui, Cristina has a longtime connection to Pu‘u Kukui through her father, who was an executive of Maui Pineapple Company when the watershed preserve was originally established in 1988. A graduate of Seabury Hall, Cristina has a BA from Columbia University, a master’s in taxation from William Howard Taft University, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Cristina is the CEO of Merriman’s Restaurants, which has been a longtime supporter of Pu‘u Kukui. She also serves as the treasurer on the board of Grow Some Good and is both the vice chair and finance chair of the Maui County Workforce Development Board.

Herb Coyle, Secretary

Herb has been volunteering at Pu‘u Kukui for over 11 years and is its primary photographer. Herb worked at UH Maui for 30 years and was the head of the Counseling department. He has a master’s in Education and a BA in Psychology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is a professional photographer, accomplished musician, and a graduate of Kamehameha Schools.