History

Kanehoa subdivision is named after James Kanehoa Young, the original owner of the property. He was a member of the first Board of Land Commissioners under Kamehameha the Great and had the Ahupuaha of Ouli, the land division that includes Kanehoa, granted to him in the Great Mahele circa 1865, when private ownership of land was implemented in Hawaii for the first time.

An ahupua’a is a subdivision of land that extends from the mountain to the sea, and encompasses all the resource zones needed for survival. The Ahupua’a of Ouli has its apex on the peak of Kohala, our oldest mountain, and ends near the beautiful Kau’anoa beach, where Ouli meets the sea.

Ahupua-Ouli

The Kanehoa land was later owned by Parker Ranch, who is credited for creating the auwai irrigation system that runs through the subdivision in 1952, and was eventually purchased and subdivided by a limited partnership of local residents. They hired a developer, engineer, and general contractor, and achieved final subdivision approval in 1987.

The Kanehoa Community consists of approximately 150 acres, initially divided into 26 residential parcels, all privately owned. Property has been bought and sold, but many of the original founders still live in the subdivision today.

Kanehoa Plat Map