Holo Holo Blog

Looking for something off the beaten path, a place where environmental stewardship is alive and thriving? Located on the south side of Kauaʻi, between CJM Country Stables and Gillan’s Beach, is Makauwahi Cave Reserve, a 17-acre plot of robust local conservation history and efforts.

Boasting Hawaiʻi’s largest limestone cave, the Reserve is a fossil treasure chest from the past, with a richly preserved tapestry of historic artifacts. It’s also a present-day living restoration project with promising future conservation efforts for native and endangered plants, animals, dry forests, coastal shrublands, sand dunes, freshwater wetlands, and waterbird species.

Step back in time, before the dawn of civilization on Kauaiʻi. The thick, fossil-bearing sediments of the cave (33 feet thick in some areas) have trapped everything that fell into the cave for the last 10,000 years at least. We’re talking shells, bones, seeds, leaves, wood, and even sedimentary records of natural disasters, warfare, and erosion.

Microscopic fossils, including pollen, spores, algae, and DNA fragments, are preserved in the cave walls and occur in the billions. Perhaps most intriguing is the protected, endemic fauna of blind cave invertebrates (blind cave spiders) found only in the protected depths of the cave.

Over twenty years of scientific research of the Makauwahi Cave reveal a macrocosm view of the complete prehistoric time before human colonization, showing changes to the land, animals, and vegetation over an incredible time range.

Ever wondered what was here 10,000 years ago? Here are the designated areas we recommend you check out when you visit Makauwahi Cave, a must-see historical gem of a site:

• The Field: Comprised of six acres of abandoned farmland and home to the cave’s most advanced native plant restoration projects. Here, native trees and shrubs, once choked out by invasive weeds, were returned to the land and re-established themselves. To support the land’s restoration, giant tortoises that love feasting on the weeds (versus native plants) were introduced to the fenced compounds to combat the aggressive weeds. The preserved native plants protected by this symbiotic relationship produce a considerable seed crop and propagate native plant seeds for other vital restoration projects.
• Self-Guided Nature Trail: Less than a ½ mile long, this simple trail offers panoramic views sure to leave you inspired. You’ll enjoy open views of the ocean, estuary, beaches, modern and fossil dunes, native Hawaiian plants and wildlife, historic archaeological sites, and several different views of the Makauwahi Sinkhole. For your safety, stay on the marked foot trail. Do not use the nearby horse trail.
• The Sinkhole: Located in the center of Makauwahi Cave is a large, half-acred portion of a collapsed cave featuring a naturally formed freshwater lake. Access the lake at signpost #15 on the Self-Guided Nature Trail. Free guided tours of the lake are available Friday – Sunday from 10 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. (donations welcome).
• Safety Caution: Do not enter the cave when the gate is closed or the abandoned limestone quarry located west of the Makauwahi Cave Reserve.

Makauwahi Cave Reserve is a non-profit organization with Garden Island Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. as a fiscal sponsor. The property is owned by Grove Farm Company and managed by Lida Pigott Burney and Dr. David A. Burney, with the help and support of thousands of volunteers, students, and visitors from the local community and worldwide.

Free Guided Tours Daily from 10:00 A.M. – 3:45 P.M. Suggested Donation: $10/adult.

http://www.cavereserve.org/ – https://www.wcsclimateadaptationfund.org/makauwahi-cave-reserve – https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/makauwahi-cave-is-kauais-best-kept-secret/

Content Creation by Jessica Stein