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  • Established in 1983 under a cooperative agreement with Haleakalā Ranch, the Conservancy’s 5,230-acre Waikamoi Preserve is a refuge for hundreds of Hawaiian plants and animals. Photo © Bob Bangerter
  • Waikamoi lies at the heart of the East Maui Watershed, a 100,000-acre native forest that spans the windward slopes of Mt. Haleakalā. Photo © John De Mello
  • Waikamoi Preserve stretches from the Haleakalā National Park boundary at 8,000 feet to the cloud-belt level of 4,400 feet. At its top edge is a conifer forest planted in the mid-20th century to reforest old pastureland. Photo © Bob Bangerter
  • To get to Waikamoi, hikers follow a trail through the conifer forest. The conifers suck up water and shade out smaller plants. The result: a forest floor of needles and dirt, devoid of a healthy understory.  Photo © Bob Bangerter
  • The transition to the native forest is striking. A profusion of ferns, shrubs and other plants cover the forest floor. Overhead are stands of ‘ōhi‘a and koa, the signature trees of the Hawaiian forest. Photo © Bob Bangerter.
  • A 1,500-foot boardwalk winds through a portion of the preserve, allowing visitors to experience an authentic native forest with minimal impact to the understory. Photo © Rob Shallenberger.
  • Waikamoi is a bird watchers paradise, home to all six of the native forest birds found in East Maui. Photo © Mike Neal – NealStudios.net
  • ‘Apapane, a common native forest bird found at Waikamoi, feed on the nectar of the red ‘ōhi‘a lehua blossoms, their favorite food source. Photo © Mike Neal – NealStudios.net
  • The blue ‘ōpelu is one of the spectacular plants found at Waikamoi. A native lobelia, the ‘ōpelu blooms only once a year. Photo by Mike Neal – NealStudios.net
  • A juvenile ‘i’iwi, a native honeycreeper, feeds on the nectar of the blue ‘ōpelu at Waikamoi. Photo © Mike Neal – NealStudios.net
  • Waikamoi is vital habitat for the kiwikiu, or Maui parrotbill, a bird so rare its total population is estimated at only 500 individuals. Photo © Mike Neal – NealStudios.net
  • The ‘alauahio, or Maui creeper, was once found on Lāna‘i and West Maui. Today, it can only been seen at Waikamoi and on the windward slopes of Haleakalā. Photo © Mike Neal – NealStudios.net
  • The critically endangered ‘ākohekohe, or crested honeycreeper, is one of Hawaii's largest nectar-feeding birds and the only native honeycreeper that bears a crest of feathers on its head. Photo © Jack Jeffry.
  • Beautiful yellow mamane blossoms, found in the native shrublands of Waikamoi, are another favorite food source for Hawaii’s forest birds. Photo © Bob Bangerter
  • The native amau fern is plentiful at Waikamoi. The orange and red hues of its gracefully arching fronds signal new growth. Photo © Bob Bangerter.
  • Old-growth koa trees serve as a reminder that Waikamoi is an ancient forest. It remains much the same today as it did before the arrival of the first Hawaiians. Photo © Mike Neal – NealStudios.net
Waikamoi
A Place Outside Time