We want to share a brief history of Wailea and invite you to join her spirit of exploration.

Her name comes from the place of our home, in the area of Ka’ōhao, an ‘ili or kaiāulu (neighborhood) in the ahupua’a (a major land division) of Kailua on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu. In the Hawaiian culture, sense of place is extremely important. The people of Hawai’i tie their history, ancestry and sense of self very closely to location. Essentially all locales, even simple unique land features, have a name and a story which are fundamental to the life-story of the residents.
Wailea means “waters of Lea” and is a land prominence in our area from which seafaring Hawaiians could mark their approach to home and from which fishermen could view the waters below to establish where they would go to seek their catch.
Lea is the Hawaiian goddess of canoe builders. According to legend, she lives in the forest and can shape shift between a human form and that of a bird, the ‘elepaiao. As a bird that enjoys human company, she is attracted to those roaming the forests of Hawai’i. When a canoe carver seeks out a tree from which to form a sea worthy wa’a, or canoe (often a catamaran), she would help lead the craftsman to the best trees and help him to avoid the poor ones. Lea, in her bird form, would also swoop along the coast and watch over the canoes as the Hawaiians went about their work on the ocean.
Sense of place and sense of self are critical concepts that often get diluted in our ever expanding global community. In her spirit, Wailea serves as a constant reminder to learn the people and the culture of the area we are visiting.