Honolua Bay

Honolua Bay is known as one of the best snorkeling spots on Maui, but it is also the site of many unmarked graves of those who lived in what was known as Honolua village. Honolua Bay holds immense amounts of Hawaiian culture and history that are not well known. I had the privilege of meeting a woman named Misty Manuwa, who told me about her family’s history in Honolua Bay. Her great-great-grandmother, Hulimai Manuʻa, was born in the kingdom of Hawaii, Maui, in 1860, in the village of Honolua, and passed away on October 15, 1919. She was buried on the 16th, a day after she passed. Her grave remained unmarked until Misty traced her genealogy back to her family land. She managed to find where she was buried, and her grave is now honored and marked. Honolua Bay deserves to have its history and story known. 

I met Misty when I returned to Maui in the summer of 2025, before I embarked on my journey at the University of Hawaiʻi. I began the small hike into the forest that led to Honolua Bay with my mom and dad. As we came to the clearing where the rocks leading to the peaceful bay were, we were met with something we had never seen before. A group of people seems to be camping out before the opening of the bay. I noticed that they had a garden with Kalo (Taro) and many other Hawaiian staple plants. Their camp was roped off, and I could see a stand where people were welcoming everyone behind it. This is when my curiosity piqued. On the table in front of them was a notebook with several signatures in it. I decided to part from my parents, who chose to go snorkeling, to see who these people were. 

When I approached these two people, they welcomed me with a sweet greeting and smiles. I asked them what the notebook full of signatures was for, and they told me that it was a petition to the state to ban snorkeling boats from the bay. They told me about the destruction the boats caused to the reef and how several boats have washed ashore and had to be dragged out, which led to further damage to the coral. Misty, the name of the woman behind this petition and cultural restoration, is also fighting for a claim over her family's land. She told me how Honolua Bay has many unmarked graves in the forest, which is why it is crucial to stay on the trail. It is also known as a sacred site due to these graves of people who were living in the kingdom of Hawaiʻi. 

One of those unmarked graves is Misty’s great-great-grandmother, Hulimai Manuʻa. Misty discovered her grave by researching her genealogy and finding a map from the Bishop Museum that helped her identify the location of Hulimai’s grave. Misty has now honored her by marking Hulimai’s grave and educating people on her presence in Honolua Bay. The stone placed above her grave is now covered in lei made by her family and those honoring her life. I was able to present lei to Hulimai once I learned of this history. I wanted to give her a gift as her family has educated me and welcomed me so graciously. Her grave is off the trail, as are the other unmarked graves, so it is very important to stay on the path clearly marked to avoid stepping on unmarked graves. 

Misty’s other main point in our lengthy conversation was protecting the bay's reef. I had already seen on the news that many boats had washed ashore in the bay, and that their removal had detrimental effects on the reef. This issue has occurred many times, eroding away at the reef. The ship's anchors are also a contributing factor to the destruction of this reef. Honolua Bay is a marine conservation area, so one would think it would be better protected in terms of these issues. Sadly, it is not, and the reef has significantly deteriorated over the years. The bay, once known as one of the best snorkeling spots on Maui, has seen the effects of these issues and lost much of its original appeal. 

This brings the discussion of how to protect and restore the bay. One way to protect the bay is to ban snorkel boats from entering it, as they have caused numerous issues. The bay is accessible via a quick, easy hike, so it would not be cut off from people who want to see its beauty. The hike is also a contributing part of the attraction of Honolua Bay. The hike itself adds to the magic of Honolua Bay. When it comes to the restoration of Maui reefs, the Maui Ocean Center comes into play. The Maui Ocean Center has a project dedicated to regrowing coral and planting them in areas where reefs have been dramatically impacted by climate change, sunscreen, snorkel boats, heat, etc. Due to the ongoing deterioration of the reef in Honolua Bay, Maui Ocean Center has begun planting coral back into the reef to aid in the restoration of the coral reef. 

One counterargument to these ideas proposed as solutions to the deteriorating reefs in Honolua Bay is that banning snorkel boats from the bay could cause economic issues. However, it is not a popular spot to go by boat, and there are many other places the boats could go. Another counterargument could be that it is not as accessible just on foot, but it is, and the hike adds to the character of Honolua Bay. Either way, without any protection and restoration for the reef, it will end up disappearing, and then there won't be anything to see at all, and no place for the marine life to thrive. As a marine conservation area, the marine life should be the top priority. The marine life needs the reef to thrive. So it is vital to protect the reef in any way possible and to support the restoration programs being implemented. 

Meeting Misty was something that changed my life through being educated and creating bonds with people I didn't expect to. Misty told me of her family stories and her fight to protect this bay, and it was very inspiring and touching. Her words reached my heart as she began crying, speaking of her struggles with the state trying to reclaim her family land and protect the bay once more. She told me how she feels that she was called back to this place, her family once called home. This moved me greatly, and I felt compelled to write down everything that I learned from her, so I could help get her story out there.

Hulimai grave

Bibliography

“Corals Damaged by Yacht | Maui Ocean Center.” Maui Ocean Center, 

https://www.facebook.com/MauiOceanCenter/,

https://mauioceancenter.com/news/corals-damaged-by-yacht-returned-to-honolua-bay/.

Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

The text is about the Maui Ocean Center's efforts to rehabilitate coral. After the yacht was pulled out of Honolua Bay, the reef suffered significant damage. The Maui Ocean Center returned to the bay two years after this incident to plant coral that they had grown back into the bay. This effort was conducted to support the reef's coral restoration. It also helps protect the marine life within the bay, as they need the coral to thrive.

The article is from the Maui Ocean Center and speaks on the process of coral rehabilitation. It describes the process of planting coral back into the bay and how they returned to Honolua Bay two years after a yacht was dragged out of the reef, causing significant damage. This is why they returned, to help with the restoration of coral. 

I used topics from this article in my essay as one of the ways the Maui community is combating the issue of coral deterioration among almost all of their reefs. I specifically used the information to show a solution to Honolua Bay’s ongoing decline of coral. 

“Honolua/Lipoa Point — Hawaiʻi Land Trust.” Hawaiʻi Land Trust, 

https://www.hilt.org/honolualipoa-point. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

The text speaks of the battle for the protection of the land surrounding Honolua Bay, including Honolua Bay. It talks about how the state bought the land from Maui Land & Pineapple Co. to protect it from further development. It was protected in the year 2014, and the land being protected includes the pristine coastline. 

The Hawaiʻi Land Trust committee published a text that goes over this community win. It speaks on how the community won over a big company and how this purchase will protect the land. The text lists the dates when this all occurred and when this agreement went through.

I used this information in my paper when speaking about how Honolua Bay is a marine conservation area and needs to be better protected. I also used this text as grounds for arguing that Honolua Bay is a significant cultural and historical site.

“Latest Boat Grounding Raises the Question: What Can Be Done to Protect Honolua Bay? : 

Maui Now.”   |  Latest Boat Grounding Raises the Question: What Can Be Done to Protect Honolua Bay?, https://mauinow.com/2025/02/14/latest-boat-grounding-raises-the- question-what-can-be-done-to-protect-honolua-bay/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

This text discusses the arguments surrounding Honolua Bay, including those for and against banning boats from the bay or at least restricting the size of ships. The article covers the incident in which the Hula Girl vessel washed ashore in Honolua Bay and the destruction it caused. It discusses the legal arguments surrounding how to protect the bay.

Maui Now, a local newspaper on the island, published this text on Honolua Bay. It speaks to the importance of coral reefs in tourism and to the need to protect them. The text provides a good understanding of the arguments surrounding the bay and the snorkel boats.

I used this text in my paper as grounds for addressing counterarguments to the banning of snorkeling boats from the bay, when I spoke about how tourism industries oppose the ban. I also use this text when I reference the legal issues surrounding these arguments. The article was helpful, as it provided an overview of the many sides surrounding these arguments.

Manuwa, Misty Interview by Susan (Susie) Hamilton

I conducted an interview with Misty Manuwa over the summer before I started college in the fall of 2025. In the interview, I asked her questions about her family’s genealogy and their connection to Honolua Bay. She then told her story of how she tracked down her great-great-grandmother's grave, Hulimai. Misty also shared stories of Honolua Bay with me, as her family is from the village that once resided there.

Misty is a primary source that helped me the most in writing this paper. I took notes from our conversation because I knew I would find a way to help share her story. She spoke of genealogy and of her family’s connections to the bay. She told me about Hulimai and how she felt called back to Honolua Bay because of her.

The way I used this interview I conducted in my paper was when I introduced the paper through the story of meeting Misty and her family. I spoke about how meeting her changed my life through education and connection. I used the information she shared during the interview in my paper when talking about the many unmarked graves in the forest before the bay. I also used this information when I spoke about how Honolua Bay is significant culturally and historically.