Pre-Contact and Early Historic Cultural Landscapes in Kahikinui District, Maui: A Progress Report

Abstract

On the morning of May 28th, 1786, Jean-Frans;ois de Galaup de la Perouse in command of the French frigates Boussole and Astrolabe sighted the snow-covered summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea and, soon after, that of Haleakala. To la Perouse "the island of Maui looked delightful," and he directed his ships to coast it one league offshore. La Perouse and his sea-weary crew were enthralled with "waterfalls tumbling down the mountainside into the sea," as they passed the districts known to the Hawaiian inhabitants of Maui as Kipahulu and Kaupa (Dunmore, ed. 1994:80). This idyllic landscape was soon replaced-much to the dismay of the sailors-as "the mountains receded towards the interior of the island."