A mysterious owner purchased and donated a beautiful place in Hawaii worth $3.8 million that developers had their eyes on.
The unknown donor bought the popular Pololu Valley, a huge tourist attraction that receives 322,000 visitors a year and between 600 and 1,500 in a single day.
For years, Pololu Valley, a sacred home to the ancestors of locals, has faced overcrowding from the many visitors exploring the admired Pololu Trailhead.
The donor said he was inspired to purchase the land and return it to the community after meeting Sarah Pule-Fujii, a Pololu administrator, who impressed upon him the “sacredness and cultural importance of the Pololu Valley.”
“That interaction left a lasting impression on me and sparked my desire to help find a solution to some of the difficulties the Pololu community was experiencing,” the anonymous man said.
An anonymous donor purchased Hawaii’s Pololu Valley (pictured) for $3.8 million and donated it to the community.
The donor said he was inspired to purchase the land and return it to the community after meeting Sarah Pule-Fujii, a Pololu administrator, who impressed upon him the “sacredness and cultural importance of the Pololu Valley.” (Pictured: Pule-Fujii with a visitor, not the donor)
Pule-Fujii, one of Pololu’s many stewards, greets and guides visitors arriving at the trailhead, while protecting the area and its people.
In 2021, an attempt was made to build a 13-lot subdivision on the land, but after the community disagreed with the plan, Pololu Valley was listed on the market.
The donation of the 42-acre property came at a “pivotal time” for the community, as the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) recently released its Pololu Management Plan Trailhead, according to Steve Bergfeld. , manager of the agency’s Hawaii branch.
The plan, spearheaded by DOFAW and the North Kohala community, was established so locals could find solutions to address high levels of visitation in their homeland.
For years, locals feared that the wrong person would purchase the land and decide to move forward with unwanted development plans, but fortunately the opposite happened.
The land has now been earmarked for the management programme, while the rest will remain undeveloped.
Just last month, the program turned three years old, as administrators worked to rescue hikers, crack down on illegal campers and even assist in ocean rescues in the Pololu Valley, according to the DLNR.
Pule-Fujii, also known as ‘auntie’ or Trail Tutu (grandmother) to many, said it is extremely important that everyone who visits the site is respectful.
Pule-Fujii, one of the many hostesses, greets and guides visitors, while warning them of possible dangers on the ground.
‘Please note that this is sacred land to us Hawaiians. “Our King grew up in this valley, and it is very important that everyone have respect when visiting this special place,” the native told a crowd of visitors in October. SF Gate reported.
During his speeches to tourists, Pule-Fujii and his team make sure to inform them about the dangers of the strenuous trail, warn them that swimming in the nearby ocean is not allowed due to the strong current, and warn them to have enough water. so they stay hydrated during their trip.
Stewards also inform travelers to refrain from approaching the roped-off sand dunes that are ancient cemeteries, where Pule-Fujii’s ancestors were buried.
Pule-Fujii and her team first learned that their land had been purchased in May, but they had no idea who had purchased it.
When he heard that the donor had acquired it to help, he was speechless.
“When we had the meeting and he told us he was going to keep it the way it is, I started crying and he started crying,” she told SFGate.
“And it was a special moment for him to feel what we felt.”
The big news came just as the Pololu Trailhead Management Plan was finalized in September.
Now that the area is protected, a heritage center will be built on the property, along with portable toilets and even a parking lot to help with traffic caused by heavy visitation.
And now that the area is protected, a heritage center will be built on the property, along with portable toilets and even a parking lot to help with traffic caused by heavy visitation.
The future lot will operate through an online reservation system, which will only allow 250 people to visit per day.
Non-residents will also have to pay for parking, and those funds will be donated to the stewardship program that is currently funded through 2026.
Jackson Bauer, DOFAW trails and access specialist, said the land is more than just a beautiful attraction.
‘We are not just postcards, we are not just Instagram posts. “We are sacred spaces and this is where people live or die, where they worship,” Bauer said.
Although no concrete plans have yet been made for the newly acquired land, Bauer said it will be managed by the local community.
‘We are really working together. “They are the ones who drive it,” he added.
‘Pololu is more than just a place for us. It is a person, it is our lineage… For our kupuna (elders), that valley is ohana (family) for us,” Pule-Fujii told the outlet.
