Since Hurricane Nolo passed over the last weekend of September, the state has kept Makawao State Forest Reserve closed while storm damage is repaired. Kula Forest Reserve and Waihou Spring Forest Reserve are closed for the same reason. The Kahakapao Loop is off-limits for now, along with the bike-only tracks next to it. The loop runs nearly six miles.
Down Baldwin Avenue, a gallery at Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center is hung with art about Maui Nui's native plants, animals and watersheds. Mālama Wao Akua 2026 runs through November 6, and admission is free. For the next month, that show and a few guided outings on Haleakalā's slope are how Makawao gets time with the uplands that sit above town.
What the Closure Notice Says, and What It Leaves Open
The Department of Land and Natural Resources wrote in its September 30 release that every other forestry and wildlife area on Maui and Molokaʻi is open again. The three Upcountry reserves were the exceptions, listed as "Closed pending storm damage repairs." The notice gives no reopening date. Maui Now's October 1 report listed the same closures.
State Parks posted an update on October 5. It said all Maui and Molokaʻi state parks had reopened except Polipoli Spring, which "remains CLOSED due to downed trees." That update covers parks only. It says nothing new about the forest reserves. DLNR points people to its OuterSpatial map for current closure status, and that map is the place to check before driving up Piʻiholo Road.
Until the map changes, the open options are in town and up at Hosmer Grove.
Twenty-Two Years of Looking Uphill
This is the 22nd year of Mālama Wao Akua, and Hui Noʻeau presents it with the East Maui Watershed Partnership. The show focuses on Maui Nui's native species, watershed protection, and forested upper watershed regions. Any artist of any age or skill level can enter, in nearly any medium, and the work covers species from Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi and Kahoʻolawe.
This year's two jurors were Emillia Noordhoek, a sculptor and arts advocate, and Chris Brosius, who manages the Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership. One works in a studio and the other manages forest for a living, and the selected pieces show both views. Among the works on the 2026 selected list:
- "Koa Seedlings" by Elizabeth Keller
- "Kinolau" by Noryne Hiromoto
- "Glory of the Mountain" by Zach Pezzillo
- "Circles of Hope" by Alexis Kageyama
- "Morning Stretch" by Alexa Lombardo-Reinsch
These artists were selected for the show. The Hui has not published award recipients. Pezzillo works as both an artist and a conservationist, and he gave a talk story at the October 3 Community Day, which also had a native plant sale. That day has passed. The rest of the show's calendar is still ahead.
A Ballot, a Thursday, and a Closing Date
Visitors to the gallery vote for this year's People's Choice Award. The winner will be announced on Thursday, November 5, at a Talk Story Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. The guest that evening is Koa Plauche of The Nature Conservancy. He will talk about the exhibition, native species, restoration and aloha ʻāina. TNC lists him as its Maui field and outreach coordinator, and part of his job is bringing Maui schoolchildren up to Waikamoi Preserve.
The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 2841 Baldwin Avenue. Counting today, that leaves 23 gallery days on the posted schedule before the show closes on Friday, November 6. Selected works go back to the artists the next day. Wednesday visitors can pair the gallery with the Makawao Farmers Market at 3654 Baldwin Avenue, which is listed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Kaluanui Grounds Are Their Own Forest Walk
You don't need a trailhead to walk among big trees at the Hui. The self-guided Kaluanui walking tour runs on the same Tuesday-through-Saturday hours. It takes about an hour and passes more than 70 plant and tree specimens, the estate grounds, historic features and the studios. The guidebook costs $6.
The grounds have a long history. Harry and Ethel Baldwin built the main house in 1917 from a design by C.W. Dickey. The Hui's history traces the property back to an East Maui sugar plantation from around 1850 and to Henry Perrine Baldwin's purchase around 1885. If you go through the gallery first, the planted specimens outside offer a direct comparison with the native plants on the walls.
Fall Classes That Begin With Plants and Fiber
Several fall classes on the Hui's adult schedule work with the same materials the exhibition celebrates. Two use plant fiber, one uses sunlight-developed printing, and one uses foliage.
| Date | Class | Instructor | Member / Nonmember |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 9, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Cyanotype Silk Twill Scarves | Sarah Barrick | $147 / $175 |
| Oct. 22, 4:30–7:30 p.m. | Shodo (Japanese Calligraphy) | Kodai Haga (Monk Sen) | $50 / $62 |
| Oct. 31–Nov. 1, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Ulana ʻIe: Hīnaʻi Poepoe | Lloyd Sing | $184 / $220 |
| Nov. 20, 3–6 p.m. | Lei Kui | Laila Reiss | $91 / $105 |
| Nov. 21, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. | Holiday (Fall) Wreath Workshop | Marie Elena Juario | $103 / $118 |
Ulana ʻIe falls on Halloween weekend, the last full weekend before the show closes. Classes also lead to the Hui's Open Studios. To book open studio time, adults need both a qualifying adult class completed within the past two years and a current Hui membership, and they register in advance. Depending on the studio, a qualifying class runs at least six to eight weeks. Monthly fees include $125 for ceramics.
When You Want Mud on Your Boots
The Upcountry reserves are still closed, but the forest edge at Hosmer Grove in Haleakalā National Park has two dated outings this month. Both are a different kind of outing from a loop walk.
- Saturday, October 17. The Nature Conservancy has a volunteer service trip open for sign-up, with an 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. slot. The group meets near Hosmer Grove at 9 a.m. to pull invasive weeds, and the day may include planting natives and stacking pine wood. The trip doesn't walk out to the boardwalk.
- Tuesday, October 27. The National Park Service lists a free, one-hour Forest Bird Hike with a park biologist. It starts at 9 a.m. at the Hosmer Grove Picnic Shelter and may be canceled for weather.
You may have heard about TNC's monthly public hikes into Waikamoi. The sign-up page currently says those hikes are closed until further notice. TNC describes access to the preserve as limited and takes questions at [email protected].
Laid out together, the next month looks like this:
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tue–Sat through Nov. 6 | Mālama Wao Akua, free, People's Choice voting | Hui Noʻeau, 2841 Baldwin Ave. |
| Oct. 17 | TNC volunteer weed-removal trip | Near Hosmer Grove |
| Oct. 27 | NPS Forest Bird Hike | Hosmer Grove Picnic Shelter |
| Oct. 31–Nov. 1 | Ulana ʻIe: Hīnaʻi Poepoe | Hui Noʻeau |
| Nov. 5, 4–5 p.m. | Talk Story with Koa Plauche, People's Choice announced | Hui Noʻeau |
| Nov. 6 | Exhibition's last day | Hui Noʻeau |
After the Sixth
When the native-species show comes down, the Hui changes over to Hui Holidays. It runs November 20 through December 24 as an expanded marketplace for local artists' work, open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If the reserve is still closed in mid-November, "Koa Seedlings" and "Glory of the Mountain" will be gone from Baldwin Avenue, and Kahakapao will stay closed until DLNR's map shows the reserve open again.
Stefanie Olson's years of building homes have kept the Salt & Light Ohana team paying close attention to how big trees, Upcountry weather, and older properties hold up after a storm like Nolo. If something on your property needs a closer look after Nolo, or you'd just like to talk about how Makawao's tree-lined lots age through storm seasons, Salt & Light Ohana is happy to have that conversation, with no pressure and no hurry. Contact Us.
