KAPAHU LIVING FARM
Piko o ka ʻĀina | Kuleana While on the ʻĀina
Kapahu Living Farm is a wahi kapu (sacred place) and puʻuhonua (place of refuge). This ʻāina holds deep cultural, ancestral, and spiritual significance. By entering, you agree to uphold the values and kuleana of this space.
Kapahu Living Farm is a traditional Hawaiian wetland taro farm, managed by the Kipahulu Ohana since 1995 through a partnership agreement with Haleakala National Park.
Ancient lo‘i kalo have been cleared and restored to active production, and other “canoe plants” (Polynesian introduced crops) such as ulu (breadfruit), mai‘a (banana), ‘uala (sweet potato), ko (sugar cane), mamaki, and ‘ohi‘a ‘ai (mountain apple) are also grown.
Poi and other products from the farm are processed at our Kipahulu Kitchen for distribution into the local Maui Nui community.
Our hands-on educational programs hosts schools and community groups from Maui, other Hawaiian islands and beyond, from a partial day to several days. Please see Educational Group Hosting for more information below if you are with a group that would like to come for a farm visit, or fill out our Contact Form.
For visitors who are not part of a group, we offer a Cultural Interpretive Hike Tour.
Educational Opportunities
Kipahulu 'Ohana hosts customized hands-on educational tours at Kapahu Living Farm for schools and community or corporate groups of all ages seeking an authentic Hawaiian cultural and environmental experience.
We offer a variety of activities including taro patch weeding, planting and harvesting, pounding poi by hand, and wrapping laulau, as well as forest hikes and shoreline activities.
Hosting can be for a partial or full day, or multiple days (visiting groups can reserve the group section at Haleakala National Park's campground).
If you represent an educational or community group interested in arranging a visit, please contact us with details about your group including age range, number in the group, dates you're interested in visiting, and any specific activities you would like to participate in.
ʻĀina Education Work Days at Kapahu Living Farm
See Below for details
Right to left: Mike Minn, KOI President; Kaneholani Lind, KOI Project Director; Tweetie Lind, KOI Senior Cultural Advisor; Natalie Gates, Haleakalā National Park Superintendent; JT Bouknight, HNP Facility Manager; Ari Wong, HNP Chief Ranger
ʻĀina Education Work Days at Kapahu Living Farm
Kīpahulu ʻOhana welcomes educational and cultural groups to participate in ʻĀina Education Work Days at Kapahu Living Farm, a living wahi pana dedicated to the practice of mahiʻai, mālama ʻāina, and the perpetuation of ʻike kūpuna. These immersive experiences offer participants the opportunity to engage directly with the ʻāina through hands-on learning in loʻi kalo cultivation, restoration practices, and traditional Hawaiian land stewardship.
Work days are available upon request for schools, organizations, and cultural groups seeking meaningful, place-based education rooted in ʻike Hawaiʻi. All participants are required to sign our waivers, and follow all protocols at Kapahu living Farm, we look forward to our collective kuleana to ʻāina.
All requests will be reviewed and confirmed by Kīpahulu ʻOhana staff and are subject to availability based on staff capacity, and seasonal conditions. We are committed to maintaining Kapahu as a safe and respectful puʻuhonua for all participants.
To request an ʻĀina Education Work Day, please complete our inquiry form or contact our team directly. We look forward to welcoming you to Kapahu Living Farm.
Grassroots Stewardship Since 1975
You’ve accomplished a lot. What efforts are you most proud of?
“Opening the taro patch up at Kapahu Living Farm, which is our baby. It’s a gold mine for us spiritually, physically, educationally, culturally. It’s also where we organize people.
- Aunty Tweetie Lind
Laulima Kākou
Interested in working together at Kapahu Living Farm?
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