Pūpūkea and Paumalū are two adjacent ahupuaʻa in the moku of Koʻolauloa. This area is most famous for its beaches and surf breaks spanning from Paumalū (Sunset Point) to Kalua-o-Maua (Three Tables). In 2007, the Pūpūkea-Paumalū bluff, and part of the coastal plain it overlooks, was permanently protected from development through the concerted efforts of Federal, State, and City governments; community organizations; and private individuals, who managed to successfully raise funds to purchase the property for the benefit of the public. The area is rural, with land uses consisting primarily of open space, single-family homes, agricultural lots, and small-scale businesses. Within this community, the 1,144-acre City- and State-owned property is largely undeveloped, with rolling terrain and a 300 foot tall bluff approximately 1,200 feet inland from Kamehameha Highway. Three gulches run from ma uka to ma kai, created by three intermittent streams: Paumalū, Pākūlena, and Kālunawaikaʻala. Today the 1,144-acre State Park Preserve is utilized for its excellent hiking and mountain biking trails and breathtaking coastal views by both community members and visitors alike.

If you’re interested in getting involved in our continuing efforts to mālama this special place, please consider making a tax-deductible donation or joining us for a volunteer workday. Please check out our Facebook events page or contact us at [email protected] for more information.

Stretching five miles from Kawela Bay to Kahuku Point, the land surrounding Turtle Bay Resort encompasses one of the last wild shorelines on Oʻahu. Thanks to a collaboration of Federal, State, and City governments; community organizations; and private individuals, 634 acres of coastal land was permanently protected from development in 2015. These irreplaceable lands include coastal sand dunes, wetlands, and miles of undeveloped coastline. The rugged, windswept coast—much loved by the community— provides nesting areas for threatened Hawaiian green sea turtles and near threatened Laysan albatross, birthing and resting areas for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, and open waters for migrating whales just offshore in the crystal-clear ocean. Island residents and tourists alike flock here to get away from Oʻahu’s urban center. Preservation of this land includes perpetual public access to over 8 miles of coastal hiking/biking trails, a remote coastal strand ecosystem at Kahuku Point, and numerous fishing, surfing, and swimming spots away from the crowds.

​If you’re interested in getting involved in our ongoing efforts to mālama this special place, please consider making a tax-deductible donation or joining us for a volunteer workday. Please check out our Facebook events page or contact us at [email protected] for more information.

​In 2010, North Shore Community Land Trust and its project partner, the Trust For Public Land, approached the owners of Turtle Bay Resort about preserving approximately 469 acres of prime agricultural land located on Oʻahu’s North Shore. O‘ahu has the highest population among the Hawaiian islands, and faces the greatest pressure to develop agricultural lands. Agricultural land on O‘ahu has been disappearing at an alarming rate. Land under agricultural cultivation decreased from 125,000 acres in 1982 to 70,000 acres in 2005 (a decrease of 44%). Although land may be zoned for agriculture, such lands can be subdivided and sold for large lot “gentlemen’s estates” on which little or no farming occurs — which has particularly impacted the popular North Shore area of O‘ahu. The Turtle Bay Mauka Agricultural Lands, which was permanently protected from development in 2015, are an important part of the North Shore community’s long standing efforts to support sustainable agriculture and maintain the North Shore’s rural and agricultural sense of place.

This one of a kind ranch is located ma uka of Pu‘u o Mahuka Heiau, and is situated at the meeting point of four important conservation and public recreation areas: 1) the 1,129 acre Pūpūkea-Paumalū Park Reserve; 2) the 1800+ acre culturally important Waimea Valley; 3) the approximately 60 acre Pūpūkea Boy Scout Camp; and 4) and approximately 25 miles of hiking trails including the Na Ala Hele Kaunala Loop Trail and a public hunting area at the ma uka border of the property. By dedicating the land to agricultural and ranch purposes in perpetuity, Sunset Ranch will help preserve the generations-long tradition of horse ranching and a rural lifestyle still treasured on the North Shore. This project was the culmination of the joint efforts of North Shore Community Land Trust, the Trust for Public Land and many other community members to preserve prime land on the North Shore of O’ahu through voluntary land conservation.

On Dec. 7, 2005, the Honolulu City Council considered a settlement offer which would have subdivided the valley allowing for the development of hundreds of homes in this sacred valley, which is one of the few remaining intact ahupuaʻa on Oʻahu. Faced with large protests from the community and many organizations, the council rejected the settlement, and renewed negotiations over the fate of the valley began. During this time North Shore Community Land Trust along with numerous partners helped develop an alternative vision and secured funding that allowed the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to become the owner and caretaker of the valley. Today the valley is a thriving example of traditional Hawaiian culture and hosts a diverse collection of plants within a display of over 1,000 genera in over 200 plant families from around the world in 35 separately themed gardens.

Approximately half an acre of coastal property within the Kaʻena State Park Reserve was officially protected in February 2019. North Shore Community Land Trust facilitated the generous donation from the Tom family, who had owned the parcel for decades, to the State of Hawaiʻi by covering the majority of the cost associated with the transaction. The Department of Land and Natural Resources intends to designate the cove as an extension of the Kaʻena Point Natural Area Reserve. We were honored to facilitate the perpetual protection of this beautiful cove, which will benefit future generations of residents and visitors, as well as the native species that depend on Kaʻena for habitat including Laysan albatross, Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles.