Moku o Lo‘e, A History of Coconut Island
From fantasy paradise to world-class facility for marine biology, the little island in Kane‘ohe Bay has a rich, colorful history.
Moku o Lo‘e originally belonged to the Hawaiian ali‘i, including Kamehameha I and Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Traditional life in the ahupua‘a of He‘eia consisted mainly of fishing and farming, with the cultivation of traditional food crops such as taro and sweet potato, and the creation of fishponds. As the land tenure changed in the coming years, He‘eia, and little Moku o Lo‘e, also changed.
In the 1930's, Christian Holmes II, heir to the Fleischmann Yeast fortune, built a pleasure dome on the little 12-acre rock in the center of the bay, doubling the size of Coconut Island in the process. It instantly became a "must visit" hang-out on the international social circuit. By the 1950's, Edwin W. Pauley of Los Angeles and his family began spending their summer vacations there. Kings, presidents, movie stars, and millionaires became regulars at Coconut Island.
With Holmes creating the ideal facilities for a marine-laboratory and Pauley providing the necessary resources and support, the beginnings of the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology came into existence in the 1940's. Over the years, this samll island laboratory has grown and expanded to become a renowned research and learning institution.
P. Christiaan Klieger, with contributions by Philip Helfrich and Jo-Ann Leong, weaves together the story of Moku o Lo‘e-an engaging chronicle of the island's past, present, and bright future.
Dr. P. Christiaan Klieger is a cultural anthropologist and historian, currently senior curator and chair of the History Department at Oakland Museum of California. Dr. Klieger was the lead researcher on the archaeology and history project of Bishop Museum that rediscovered King Kamehameha III's "lost" palace complex at Moku‘ula in Lahaina.
$39.95
isbn 978-1-56178-072-7
hardcover 11x8.5, 288pp.
$24.95
isbn 978-1-58178-048-2
softcover, 11x8.5, 288pp.
Available at Bishop Museum's Shop Pacifica (phone 808-848-4158, email at shop@bishopmuseum.org ) and other fine bookstores throughout the islands.
Tags: Bishop Museum Press, Coconut Island, Moku o Lo‘e, P. Christiaan Klieger
