Waikamoi Forest
All of the images on this page are photographs that I've taken during my many visits to Waikamoi - there is no artwork featured here.
The ancient Hawaiian forest is one of the great treasures of Maui's "Upcountry" area. Many island residents and visitors alike are familiar with the names of common native trees like the Koa and Ohi'a. For a variety of reasons, however, including deforestation and an invasion of foreign animals and plants, Hawaii's original forests have been greatly reduced in size during the past two centuries. Thankfully, significant portions of this unique forest still exist on Maui, but are mainly restricted to the high country in remote locations above an elevation of 3,000 feet.
Waikamoi Forest occupies a significant portion of the northeastern slope of Maui's largest volcano, Haleakala. The region is loosely defined by its proximity to Waikamoi Stream, which flows through the center of this great wilderness. Although much of the area is designated as State Forest land, about 5,000 acres along the upper boundary of the forest is privately owned by Haleakala Ranch and is actively managed by the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii as the Waikamoi Preserve. This important preserve is the natural residence of a multitude of unique plants and birds, many of which are found nowhere else in the world - some are of such rarity that they occur on Maui exclusively, being absent even from the other islands in the Hawaiian chain.
The visual magnificence of Waikamoi is perhaps best appreciated during the sort of weather which dominates the high, windward slopes of Maui: wet and foggy. Giant Ohi'a and Koa trees reach to the sky with wildly twisted branches - many of the old trees are gnarled into shapes so fantastic that they seem capable of coming to life and marching across the landscape. In the wetter areas, the trees are often completely covered with dark mosses, so that they appear nearly black at a distance, emerging like silent monsters from every dissolving mist. Although often dark and moody, this rainforest does contain truly beautiful sights upon closer inspection. An overwhelming variety of fragile ferns and other plants spring up from the forest floor, each stem composed of delicate and tiny structures, an endlessly astonishing vision for anyone who travels on foot through the forest's tangles. The bright red flowers of the Ohi'a, or of understory plants like the mint Stenogyne, add some color to an otherwise monotonous palette of jungle green.
In some of the plant photos below, I've digitally removed the original forest background in favor of a less distracting backdrop of solid black, in order to enhance your view of the plant in the foreground. I hope that all of these photos may simply inspire interest in this remarkable natural area, which is constantly imperiled by a variety of destructive influences. Employees and volunteers of the Nature Conservancy work quite courageously to reduce the impacts of aggressive, foreign weeds (which spread rapidly and displace the seedlings of native plants) and imported mammals such as goats and pigs (which run wild in great numbers on Maui, and create terrible damage to the forest's understory by browsing plants or digging up the ground in search of food). To learn about the Nature Conservancy's volunteer opportunities, which offer a chance to visit this restricted area while simultaneously doing a good deed for Maui's unique wildlands, please call the Conservancy's Maui office at: (808) 572-7849.
A towering Koa tree ( Acacia koa ) rises into the mist of low clouds.
Moss-laden Ohi'a trees. The Ohi'a, Metrosideros polymorpha,
is the dominant tree in wet forests throughout Hawaii.
Leaves of the Kanawao, Broussaisia arguta, a relative of the Hydrangea family.
Ohi'a canopy against an overcast sky.
Waikamoi Reservoir, the result of a dam on
Waikamoi Stream, reflects the surrounding forest.
The remarkable 'Ape'ape plant (pronounced AH-pay-AH-pay).
The umbrella-like leaves of this plant are much larger than they may appear in the photo -
each plant is about three feet wide, and could easily conceal a person sheltering below.
These grow only in the wettest areas of the forest, often in the bottom of ravines.
A typical ravine choked with vegetation.
The palm-like plant in the upper left corner is Cyanea horrida,
a rare species of Lobelia that occurs only in wet forests of East Maui.
Unopened flowers of Clermontia arborescens, called 'Oha Wai in Hawaiian.
Open flower of Clermontia arborescens. The curved shape
of the flower matches the curved beaks of several Hawaiian
forest birds which use the nectar of these flowers as a food source.
The bright-red flower, called Lehua, of the Ohi'a tree.
These flowers occasionally appear as yellow, orange, or white.
The Lehua blossom is one of the primary sources of food for forest birds in Hawaii.
Stunning flowers of the mint Stenogyne kamehamehae,
which climbs among other plants or sprawls across the ground.
Graceful leaves of the 'Aiea plant, a species of Nothocestrum.
Myrsine lessertiana, called Kolea Lau Nui (large-leaved Kolea)
in Hawaiian. These are common understory trees in Waikamoi.
They're easily identified by the red vein that runs down the center of the leaf.