Hale Noa

Hale Noa is a nearly square stone foundation beside Kūloa Point Trail in Kīpahulu. It marks a hale noa, or sleeping house, rather than a standing or reconstructed building. If you’re walking the coast, pause for the low stone outline; this is a small archaeological stop, not a large ruin.

A smaller koʻa, or fish shrine, comes first on the approach. It’s a separate feature from Hale Noa. Both sit near the view toward the Alenuihāhā Channel. From the trail, the low stones and coast make a good context photo. Leave the rocks alone and don’t step among the remains.

NPS says Hale Noa belonged to a kauhale, a house complex whose walls continued mauka—inland and uphill—into the forest. The Kīpahulu district has at least 300 recorded archaeological features. Radiocarbon dating places settlement in the district between A.D. 1161 and 1384; that range dates Kīpahulu’s settlement, not this house.

You’ll find Hale Noa along Kūloa Point Trail in Haleakalā National Park’s Kīpahulu District. The district is 12 miles past Hāna on Hāna Highway. Food and gas aren’t available in the park here, so pick them up before you arrive.