Piʻilanihale Heiau

Piʻilanihale Heiau is a large stone shrine on the island of Maui. It is believed to be one of the oldest structures in Hawaii. Archaeologists estimate that the earliest part of the structure was built towards the end of the 13th century and reached its current size by the early 15th century. Piʻilanihale Heiau underwent a multi-decade-long restoration project starting in the 1970s and ending in 1999. It is located on the grounds of the Kahanu Garden, which was founded in 1974. The mission of the garden is to preserve, conduct research, and educate the public about native plants and their connections to native peoples in Hawaii and also in Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia (many plants were brought over by the Polynesians who arrived in Hawaii). The garden is one of five operated by the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden. The temple and garden are located in the last old-growth hala (a type of tree) forest in Hawaii.

The Piʻilanihale Heiau is located in the town of Hana on the island of Maui. It is a Hawai’ian heiau which is a place to worship. Large heiau are known as luakini heiau and were constructed for public ceremonies which typically worshiped four major gods. They worshiped Lono (peace, agriculture, fertility), Kane(the creator and ancestral deities), Kanaloa (the ocean, healing, and general well-being), and Ku (war). Construction on Piʻilanihale Heiau began in the 13th century and took until the 15th century to complete, with some builders dedicating their lives to its creation. It was constructed entirely out of basalt rocks from the Hawai’ian volcanos. Piʻilanihale Heiau is believed to be the biggest heiau in all of the Polynesian islands, covering over 3 acres. Piʻilanihale Heiau is also tall with its northern wall measuring over 50 tall across 5 terraced steps. The interior of the heiau has eight walls, three enclosures, five platforms, two upright stones, and 30 pits. 

Early anthropologists believed Piʻilanihale Heiau to function as a state luakini heiau to serve the residents of Hana. However, contemporary anthropologists believe it could’ve been a residence as Piʻilanihale means "house of Pi'ilani". While the exact origins and purpose is unknown some believe it may have been built by one of the Hana chiefs during the time when Maui was divided. One chief ruled Hana, and another ruled the rest of Maui Island. When Maui was unified by Chief Piʻilani, the heiau was rededicated to him. Others believe the heiau began construction under his rule and was finished by his sons. 

Hana remained a center of power until it was conquered by an army from Hawaii in the late 1700s when Kalani'opu'u of the Big Island seized control of Maui. Kalani'opu'u was pushed out but shortly after the soon-to-be King, Kamehameha sailed on Maui. He swiftly conquered the island of Maui with his 960 war canoes. Kamehameha’s conquest of all the Hawaiian islands unified the state and made him King, starting the Hawaiian Monarchy. In 1848 the monarchy granted the 990 acres to the local Chief Kahanu. In the 1860s the land became a sugar cane plantation, with the area surrounding Piʻilanihale Heiau carrying six sugar cane plantations. Gradually the massive sugar cane industry faded and the plantations had all closed by 1946. The land would be bought by Paul Fagan, the owner of the now-defunct San Francisco Seals baseball team. Fagan turned the land into a cattle ranch known as Hana Ranch. Fagan would also set up a hotel and airport in Hana bringing tourism to the town. Fagan died in 1960 and in 1974 Hana Ranch donated land to the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) nonprofit to establish Kahanu Garden. Members of the Kahanu/Uaiwa/Matsuda/Kumaewa Family, descendants of Chief Kahanu also donated land to the NTBG, in exchange for the restoration of Piʻilanihale Heiau.

 Piʻilanihale Heiau had remained untouched since the Hawaiian unification and had become heavily overgrown. A massive jungle had completely covered the heiau and the tall terraced retaining walls needed to be stabilized. The project began in 1974 with volunteers and Garden staff working to clear to jungle. Work on the restoration was sporadic over the next 2 decades, causing the Kahanu-Uaiwa-Matsuda-Kumaewa family and Hāna Ranch to become frustrated with the NTBG. In 1997 Chipper Wichman was placed in charge of the project and fast-tracked its completion. Wichman worked with Francis Palani Sinenci, a Hana native to build a team of local Hāna stone masons to repair Piʻilanihale Heiau. The crew included Jack Kahanu-Uaiwa, Tony Helekahi, two of Francis’s brothers, Peter and Sebastian, and Francis Kikaha Lono, affectionately called “Uncle Blue.” Uncle Blue had been working on Piʻilanihale Heiau since 1972 and is a direct descendant of the paramount Chief Piʻilani, who oversaw part of Piʻilanihale Heiau construction. 

The restoration work was done entirely by hand, with the crew moving lava rocks weighing upwards of 100 pounds. They used traditional cultural protocols when removing rubble, locating niho (foundation stones), and rebuilding the terrace walls. Scaffolding for restoration was built on-site with materials available to the crew. The restoration moved very quickly afterward with Chipper Wichman saying, “Fueled by a quiet, inner pride, their work advanced at a rate no one could have foreseen.” The restoration of Piʻilanihale Heiau was completed On April 10, 1999. Hana’s community gathered to celebrate the occasion with traditional protocols and the chanting of the sacred genealogy of Chief Piʻilani. 

Today, Piʻilanihale Heiau sits inside Kahanu Garden, which has the largest collection of native plants in the islands. A path runs through the garden and to Pi'ilanihale Heiau which is available to view Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Visitors are not allowed to go in or climb on the Piʻilanihale Heiau.

Dunbar, Helene. "Piʻilanihale Heiau National Historic Landmark." National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. http://focus.nps.gov/GetAsset?assetID=ce4646ae-b8b6-43f0-80d9-8a3c16969eef. "History." Kahanu Garden. Accessed August 30, 2016. http://ntbg.org/gardens/kahanu-history.php.

Pi'ilanihale Heiau, National Park Service . Accessed June 20th, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/places/piilanihale-heiau.htm.

Wichman, Chipper. Pi’ilanihale Heiau, National Tropical Botanical Garden . October 15th, 2020. Accessed June 20th, 2025. https://ntbg.org/news/piilanihale-heiau/.

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The San Francisco man behind Hawaii's famous Road to Hana, SF Gate. Accessed June 20th, 2025. https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/road-to-hana-sf-origins-17640546.php.