Kula, Hawaii
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Kula is a district of East Maui, Hawaii that stretches across the "up-country", the western-facing slopes of Haleakala, from Makawao to Ulupalakua. Most of the residential areas lie between about 500 to 1,100 m (1,800 ft to 3,700 ft) in elevation. The word "Kula" in Hawaiian means "open meadows."
The district has traditionally been one where "kamaʻaina" (local residents) have preferred to live, as distinct from the generally hotter and busier tourist spots nearer to sea level (e.g., Kihei and Lahaina).
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[edit] DESCRIPTION OF KULA
Modern-day Upper Kula, as a more-or-less settled area, roughly extends from Haleakala Highway in the north to Keokea in the south-a distance of about 16 miles. And, just as you would expect, the expansive and largely rural "neighborhood" known as Upper Kula generally incorporates the region up-slope from Lower Kula, the more densely populated area spread along the Kula Highway.
Kula is the Hawaiian word for a specific type of land and terrain, and on Maui, is one of the island's 12 moku or land divisions and districts. Generally, Kula means a zone of arid, open country slopes between the inhabited and productive shoreline areas and, in ancient times, the densely forested zone higher on the mountain.
Maui's Kula district is the island's largest moku, extending from the dry coastal region of arid Kihei to the somewhat wetter high pasture lands of three major ranches-Haleakala, Erewhon, and Ulupalakua -that cap the region about halfway up the slopes of Haleakala. It also laterally extends from Keokea to near Makawao where the rainforest of East Maui once began.
In most leeward areas, away from the prevailing and moist tradewinds, - called the rain shadow of Haleakala - the lower portion of Maui's Kula moku consists of a broad, arid expanse where little cultivation is possible. This zone consists of dry, desert-like open range just inland from the sea in artificially well-irrigated Kihei, and is covered with kiawe trees to an elevation of about 1,000 feet on the volcano's slopes that provide an imposing backdrop to the coastal region.
Between this zone and the upper reaches of the moku hillsides, especially up steep Waipoli and Poli Poli Roads, broad, open areas for vegetable and fruit crops and comprise most of Maui's farms. The climate makes the area especially productive due to the moderate climate that often yields as many as four harvests per year.
Maui's kula zone has taken on the more formal status as Kula, another of Maui's places that is a broad area, rather than a specific town or village.
In the minds of many Maui residents, Kula is the island's unexpected jewel. They happily leave the fringe of sun-drenched sand to visitors and newcomers, making their homes and raising their families in the slow-paced communities that dot the west slope of Haleakala.
Kula is the heart of Maui's "Upcountry," a rambling region of the island where once farmers, cowboys, planters and other country folks were the primary residents. The ill-defined boundary between Lower Kula and Upper Kula is largely drawn only in the minds of the residents, with no one able to point to a distinct line.
When the Territorial Legislature first set up the political design for the state in 1906, they decreed only two levels of government: state and county. Therefore, none of Hawai'i's cities or villages actually has boundaries or "city limits."
[edit] UPPER KULA [1]
The twisty Haleakala Highway, from its junction with Kula Highway in Pukalani, loosely defines the northern edge of Upper Kula. The upper road (Kekaulike Highway), also known as State highway 377, slices upward through usually green pastures, silvery eucalyptus tree groves (and gorgeous blue Jacaranda trees in late Spring), giving an immediate sensual relief to the monotony of the miles of sugar cane below. Where the road beyond Kula Lodge makes an abrupt upward tack to Haleakala National Park, the ill-defined area known as Upper Kula clings to the Kekaulike Highway. In less than five miles it descends the slope to rejoin the Kula Highway near Rice Park and heads south to Keokea.
There is almost no commercial development along Kekaulike. However, Kula Botanical Gardens and Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm, both great points of interest to visitors and locals alike, thrive in the area. Vegetable and flower gardens surround the meandering highway as farmers large and small take advantage of the area's unique combination of open space, good soil, moisture-laden clouds and filtered tropical sun.
New homes, nestled beside the older homes that look as though they have been there forever, dot the area, taking advantage of the moderate weather and bi-coastal views of the isthmus far below.
In Keokea, the imposing Kula Hospital sits on the hillside above the road. Originally a tuberculosis treatment sanitarium built in 1909, Kula Hospital now serves the sprawling community as a critical access hospital.
This area near the southern edge of the Kula moku is also the site of the remnants of a once-flourishing Chinese community in the area that numbered over 700 family members of immigrant workers and farmers. While the area is now more mixed, Keokea is still home to a pair of Chinese family-owned stores and service station as well as boutique coffee-shop.
A mile or so beyond Keokea is the charming county park dedicated to the Maui's most famous former resident, Sun Yat-sen, the Chinese political leader often referred to as the "father of modern China." He grew up in the area in the late 1800s living with his uncle. He later led the revolution that ended China’s last dynasty and established the Republic of China in 1912. He later co-founded the Kuomintang (KMT) and served as its first leader.
Just as Upcountry residents cherish visits to the seashore for a break from the same old routine, residents near the shore equally relish a visit to Upper Kula, and the cooler temperatures that may even demand a fireplace in winter. Like the saying goes: "It's cooler in Kula".
[edit] LOWER KULA[1]
Lower Kula is more a state of mind than a place, more a lifestyle than a single location on Maui's map. It's a nebulous place along a 15-mile swath of land encompassing a region between about 1,200 and 2,800 feet of elevation along the western flank of Haleakala, a dormant volcano that dominates the island's landscape and forms Kula’s backdrop.
With its protea and lavender gardens, manicured fields of personal and commercial vegetable farms and fruit orchards intermingled with stands of gray-green eucalyptus forests, emerald meadows, and hills, Kula is a “state of mind.” Communities/areas along the old Lower Kula Road with names like Pulehu, Waiakoa, Omaopio and Keokea attest to Lower Kula's Hawaiian heritage, but each also has its own history of ethnic settlements by Maui's first waves of newcomers.
In the late 1800s, Portuguese and Chinese immigrants, who had fulfilled their labor contracts with the sugarcane plantations, moved to this area, drawn by the rural agricultural lifestyle. Later, large numbers of Japanese farmers moved into the fertile area.
These farmers have been producing vegetables ever since. In fact, gold rush in California, the Hawaiian farmers in Kula shipped during the 1850s so many potatoes that it was nicknamed "Nu Kaleponi," a sort of pidgin Hawaiian pronunciation of "New California."
That farming tradition and lifestyle continue today, even among the fancy gentlemen farms that have sprung up in the past two decades. Kula continues to grow its well-known onions, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower and cabbage. It is also a major source of cut flowers for the state. Most of Hawai'i's proteas, as well as nearly all the carnations used in leis, come from Kula.
Lower Kula is generally thought of as the region encompassing the areas mauka and makai of Lower Kula Road, the remnants of the old county road that once spanned the region before the present Kula Highway was finished in 1964. The old meandering road cris-crosses the straight-as-an-arrow modern highway in numerous places along its length from Pukalani to Keokea, and gives frequent access to varied segments of the elongated region.
Even after nearly 50 years, there are no businesses along the "new" highway (except some “open-air” vegetable markets), while the well-worn old road is dotted with the usual establishments that serve rural communities, including historic churches. Holy Ghost Catholic Church, is celebrated for its unique octagonal shape and wonderful hand-carved alter. Its beautiful turret is a landmark on the slopes of Haleakala, visible from much of Central Maui far below. It was constructed in 1894 by Portuguese immigrants who settled in the area to begin a new life in the nation of Hawai’i.
In the past decade, the lush natural beauty, great bi-coastal views and cooler climate of Lower Kula have drawn a new type of resident to the district. Large and small plots of agricultural land are being carved up to make small "gentleman estates" with their customarily large and sometimes lavish homes. Clusters of new and older homes above and below the old Lower Kula Road are becoming denser, as newcomers and old timers alike search for their special place. And of course, with the influx of people, the narrow county roads are becoming clogged with more traffic.
The major limit on the further development in the whole Kula area is the significant lack of water. The legally adopted Upcountry Community Plan specifically states that as highest priority the scarce water supply should be given to agriculture and the emerging Hawaiian Home Lands project.
[edit] Climate
There are many micro-climates created by the combined effects of elevation, rain shadow, and land contour. Much of the west slopes of East Maui are dry or semi-desert due to a rain shadow effect: the prevailing trade-winds are from the north-east and east and Kula is in the 'shadow' of these winds. At the higher elevations and at night, especially in winter, it can be cool with temperatures dipping into the 40's or high 30's. Frosts are virtually unknown except at much higher elevations (7,000+ ft) on Haleakala.
There is a distinctive weather feature known as the 'Maui vortex'. A wind vortex forms as the trade-winds pass around the north-west corner of Haleakala (over Pukalani) and blow southward down the central valley of Maui over Maalaea Bay and then circle back up-slope over Kihei bringing a "lei of clouds" late each morning over Kula. Around sunset, the downward breezes from the summit wipe out this lei of clouds.
[edit] Land use
Kula has a strong agricultural and ranching tradition, the latter on the lands above the residential areas. Indeed, there is frequent reference in Makawao (which means "edge of the forest") to a paniolo (cowboy) ambience that derives from this ranching activity.
Kula's most famous produce is the Maui onion, which mostly grows at the lower levels of Kula (below Highway 37). It is also known for its persimmons that ripen during the fall; they are mostly located in the Pulehuiki area. Other produce grown in Kula includes lettuce, cabbage, and herbs. Kula is also known for the many varieties of protea grown for commercial sale.
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] NOTES
Template:Maui Weekly, July 9, 2009 Template:Http://www.mauiweekly.com/page/content.detail/id/500004/Upper-Kula-Really-is-Cool.html?nav=56
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Maui Weather Today *[1]
