Effort underway to revive critical boat ramp on Maui’s north shore
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Nestled in north shore Maui’s wuthering cliffs, Māliko Bay has served boaters and fishers for generations.
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While often overlooked, the narrow bay plays a big role for first responders who rely on its ramp.
“This is a critical spot on the north shore. Kahului boat ramp is about nine miles away … so if there are any critical rescues needed at Hoʻokipa, or further up north of Māliko, this is a critical spot for their access to get jet skis in the water,” longtime fisher and ramp user Ben Walin said.
Built in the ’70s, the state granted public access to the ramp through an easement, which expired in 1997, leaving maintenance uncertain.
Since then, Walin said the site has been neglected and became a hot spot for illegal dumping.
In March, Walin said the Kona low storms “basically ripped out about half of (the ramp).”
Hoping to restore the area for ocean activities, emergency purposes, and cultural practices, Walin and a new nonprofit organization assumed management of the bay.
Nā Maka o Māliko consists of boaters, community advocates, and lineal descendants invested in reviving the well-used facility and the 11-plus acres around it under a 50-year lease.
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“It’s part of our heritage. It is the stories that we have and we’ve held and cherished,” Nā Maka o Māliko president Pulama Collier shared.
For Collier, the cherished stories connecting her and her family to Māliko motivate her to guide the group under a traditional maxim, “E ho’i i ka nani i Māliko.” The motto translates as, “Let glory return to Māliko.”
The group’s effort is estimated to cost around $1 million, and the County of Maui executed a $15,000 grant to Nā Maka o Māliko for cleanup this year.
To help its mission materialize, the organization is also asking others to help them fix the facility they consider a fixture in their community.
“It’s our legacy,” Collier said. “We can feel its pain. We can feel its degradation and its lack of breath.”
Nā Maka o Māliko aims to breath new life into the bay by hosting community work days.
HNN reached out to the Department of Land and Natural Resources for comment and we’re waiting to hear back.
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