A Short History Of Lānaʻi

Old legends tell the story of Kaʻululaʻau who was the son of a chief. He was so mischievous that his father banished him to the neighboring island of Lānaʻi.

At that time, Lānaʻi was a feared place to live as people were afraid of the ghosts and evil spirits which dwelled there. Through courage, trickery and deceit, Kaʻululaʻau was able to defeat and vanquish all of these evil spirits. From then on, people started to populate Lānaʻi. Much like how the rest of was inhabited by humans, the first settlers on Lānaʻi set up fishing villages along the shore. It was not long before they started farm- ing and planting taro on the island’s volcanic soil. King Kamehameha even has his summer home here in Kaunolū.

In 1922, James Dole’s Hawaiian Company bought the island for 1.2 million dollars Much of Lānaʻi feels secluded because only 3,200 and construction was immediately started on a people live here, and there are only 30 miles of model village named Lānaʻi City, which was to paved roads. Most of the population lives in Lānaʻi house the new immigrant workers from the Phil- City, a small collection of buildings in the center of ippines, Korea and Japan. My grandparents were the island. There’s not a single traffic light on the one of these Korean families that settled here in entire island. 1930. Much of the land in the Palawai basin was used for growing pineapple. The island of Lānaʻi In 2012, billionaire Larry Ellison bought 98 would become the largest pineapple plantation in percent of the entire island of Lānaʻi in 2012 for the world and at its peak produced ninety percent $300 million. One of his island renovations is at the of the world’s pineapple. Dole’s efforts turned the Four Seasons Lodge property at Koʻele, just out- island of Lānaʻi into one of the largest pineapple side of Lānaʻi City some eight miles from Manele plantations in the entire world, hence, its nickname Bay, which will reopen soon with the aim of being “The Pineapple Isle.” the best spa and wellness center in the world.

When the pineapple industry started to plateau Lānaʻi also boasts of having Hawaiʻi’s largest cat in the 1980s, Lānaʻi underwent another major sanctuary which is now home to more that 600 change, one that was in line with the changes rescued cats. Sensei Farms is one of Ellisonʻs that were occurring on many of the other Hawaiian latest high-tech indoor hydroponic agricultural Islands. As agriculture declined in Hawaii, the partnerships which is projected to grow vegeta- had to be reformed into a bles for sale cheaper than imported produce. new company named Castle & Cooke. When Dole The latest high tech project is the High Altitude Food Company CEO, David H. Murdock, bought Pseudo Satellite project which is soon to be Castle & Cooke, he also gained control over the tested here. This involves launching a solar-pow- Lānaʻi island. Shifting away from agriculture, ered, unmanned drone with a wing span of 260 Castle & Cooke began developing Lānaʻi as a feet called the Hawk30 from agricultural land on tourist destination. Lānaʻi and flying it over the island at 65,000 feet to 80,000 feet.