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The ocean meets Molokai, Hawaii at Kalawao, where Hansen’s disease patients were often dropped into the water from the boats that brought them from Honolulu and told to swim to shore.

Kalaupapa
Natural Resources

Kalaupapa National Historical Park is best known for the Hansen's disease settlements at Kalawao and Kalaupapa; less well known are the presence of significant habitats, plants and animals.

Several areas in the park provide rare native habitats for threatened or endangered Hawaiian plants and animals. These areas include the dry northern end of the peninsula, deep moist valleys, lava tubes and caves, upper rain forests and off-shore islands and waters. Two off-shore islands, `Okala and Huelo, provide nesting habitat for endangered birds. Because Huelo has never been occupied by humans, it is one of the most pristine natural areas in the state. The Pu`u Ali`i plateau contains one of the best examples of `ohi`a rain forest in Hawai`i. The Ka`uhako Crater contains a remnant low elevation summer-deciduous dry forest, an extremely rare windward coast example of this type of community in Hawai`i.

Some rare or endangered native plants and animals that reside in these habitats include the `awiwi (annual herb) in the coastal spray zones, the loulu lelo (fan palm) on Huelo island, the i`iwi (nectar-feeding bird) in high-elevation rain forests and the Hawaiian monk seal on the coastlines. Threats to these plants and animals include feral goats, pigs and axis deer, all alien to the natural ecosystem. A further threat to the native plants are the aggressive non-native plants such as guava, java plum, lantana and Christmas berry.