'Ahinahina Haleakala National Park

The park covers more than 33,000 acres

Haleakalā National Park is a unique national park found on the island of Maui. It’s known for its stunning sunrises and sunsets that cast the rays of the sun across the Pacific Ocean. The park encompasses the now dormant Haleakalā volcano. It stretches from sea level in the southeastern part of the park to over 10,000 feet at the summit. The summit is known as Pu’u ‘Ula’ula, which translates to Red Hill. The name Haleakalā means “house of the sun” and is used to describe the general mountain as well as the peak on the southwestern edge of Kaupō Gap.

Haleakalā Sunrise

Haleakalā National Park was first a part of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, which was formed in 1916. At that time, it included the volcanoes of Mauna Loa and Kilauea on the island of Hawai’i as well as Haleakalā. In 1961, Haleakalā National Park was broken out into its own national park. The park covers more than 33,000 acres, and it is broken out into two parts. The first includes the summit area—which is where this photo was taken--, and the second is the Kipahulu area along the coast.

‘Āhinahina is found exclusively on the summits of Haleakalā and Mauna Kea. Each volcano has its own subspecies of ‘Ahinahinā: the Haleakalā silversword and the Mauna Kea silversword. The Haleakalā subspecies is considered threatened, and the Mauna Kea silversword is endangered. There may only be 40 individuals in the Mauna Kea silversword subspecies.

Haleakalā Landscape

‘Ahinahinā live twenty to ninety years. They will flower once in their life in a massive tower of flowers. Once they flower, they die. The seeds are then distributed by the wind. This same wind that distributes its seeds is a ferocious element that it must contend with every day. In order to survive in the rocky, dry, windy, and cold volcanic cinder, it has skin and hairs on its succulent leaves that resist the wind and cold as well as protect it from dehydration. The leaves at the base of the plant are oriented such that it can raise the temperature of the shoot-tip leaves up to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the ‘Ahinahinā reaches approximately 1.6 feet in diameter, it will shoot up a tall stalk in just a few weeks. This stalk contains the maroon ray flowers of the ‘ahinahinā. They look similar to the flowers of a sunflower. This typically occurs between July and October. This stalk can grow to be more than six feet tall and contain over 600 flower heads. These flowers rely on flying insects to pollinate them.