Vicky and her pets in the work mule
Enjoy Our Photo Gallery
If you have photos from your visit at Koali Nui, and you would like to add them to our gallery, please email them to koaliniu@gmail.com
Rooted in Grit:
From the beginning to the present, the roots of Koali Niu are revealed in these photos
Welcome to the visual “scrapbook” of Koali Niu! Before the Gene Bank became a sanctuary for niu (coconuts), it was a wild, untamed jungle. Dive into our history and see the “Before & After” that purely defines a labor of love. You will find shots of the land in its raw, overgrown state and the incredible amount of grit it took to pave the way for our gene bank.
It took significant manpower to clear the land and the Maui magic to create the lush gene bank you see today. These photos celebrate the hands that built this haven and the history rooted deep in our soil. If you’re interested in visiting Koali Niu, please contact Vicky Durand to make arrangements.
Clearing the land to create the gene bank
Clearing this ‘āina was no small kuleana. Felling trees, shredding hau, laying tarps, planting seedlings, and restoring an ancient rock wall — this is what devotion to the niu, and to our culture, looks like. To learn more about the history of the gene bank, click on “our story,” here.
Before the land clearing
After the land clearing
The thickness of hau (native Hawaiian Hibiscus) notoriously dense and tangled—needing removal.
Chipping invasive hau
Spreading invasive hau
Rebuilding ancient rock walls
Early workday clearing thick jungle
Clearing the hill
Early triad on lower rock walls
The Land Blessing
Learn more about the Koali Niu land blessing ceremony and its cultural significance in Hawaiian tradition, aloha ʻāina, and mālama ʻāina by reading Vicky’s article here.
Sacred conch blow
Leiʻ ohu Ryder, Kumu (teacher) that led our ceremony
The first triad after the land blessing
Various Photos
From cleared land to seedling, from harvest to handcraft, this is Koali Niu. A living legacy, rooted in the ‘āina of Hāna, Maui.
Coconut tree loaded with nuts
A good haul of species varieties
Indrajit making coconut salad
Farm dog, Haumana
Preparing to plant sprouted nuts
Display of mature nuts
Indrajit climbing a palm tree in an effort to identify the variety of coconut
Indrajit and Dr. Roland identifying coconut varieties
An abundance of healthy young trees
Coconuts ready to go in ground
Indrajit hunting for a special coconut variety
Art Made with Coconut Fronds
From the leaves of the niu comes art — baskets, weavings, and creations born from a tradition as old as the islands themselves. These baskets are as strong as they are beautiful — built not for display, but for the work of daily life.
Indrajit making frond baskets
A coconut used for fishing
Finished frond baskets
Teaching people to make baskets of coconut fronds
Walls weaved from fronds
Beautiful artwork made from palm fronds