Haleakalā National Park

Haleakalā National Park. Summit District. The landscape of Haleakalā National Park rises from a lush valley beneath a waterfall at sea level to a red desert of cinder cones here at the volcanic summit of Haleakala. An astounding array of climates and life zones lies in between. Yet the park’s many contrasting worlds are vitally linked. Rain that falls on the volcano’s slopes and carves its valleys nourishes a multitude of life forms. , You are now in kua mauna, the land above the clouds, where people never dwelled for long. Ka po‘e kahiko, the people of old, only came to this sacred place for specific reasons requiring training and understanding. At the foot of the mountain lies kahakai, the costal lands, inhabited and cultivated for centuries. Haleakala National Park preserves and helps perpetuate the cultural richness of both kua mauna, kahakai, and the diverse features in between. It is all here for you to explore., Kīpahulu Costal District. Trails skirt dramatic coastline or follow pooling streams to Waimoku Falls at the head of a densely forested valley. At Kīpahulu you can get a sense of how people lived in old Hawai‘i. Foundations of old village sites, cultural demonstrations, and a living taro farm are preserved and perpetuated.