Aloha!  Welcome to the Ahupua'a of Makaweli on Kauai!

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This site is dedicated to a small but determined family of Scottish pioneers who in 1840 journeyed by sea from Scotland to New Zealand and then in 1863 to the Kingdom of Hawaii.  This is a brief recounting of that story.

It begins in the mid 1800s with Captain Francis Sinclair, his wife Elizabeth McHutcheson Sinclair, and their six children: George, Jean, Helen, James, Francis and Anne all of whom were born in Scotland. Captain Sinclair was from Edinburgh. Their last residence in Scotland was at Bothwell Hall near the walls of Stirling Castle. "Even though life seems to have been happy and prosperous there in Stirling, Captain and Mrs. Sinclair were seriously considering a tremendous change of scene. Wonderful reports of the opportunities in New Zealand were being brought back to the old country, so in October of 1839, with a number of other Scottish and English families, they decided to go to the new country."¹⁾ When the British Government declared New Zealand an English colony in 1840, Capt. Sinclair acquired a royal grant of land to be chosen once they arrived there. In 1843 after a four-month voyage round the Cape of Good Hope, and some time spent in Wellington awaiting the land arrangements, the family sailed to the South Island and ultimately settled at Pigeon Bay on the Banks Peninsula. There they built the home they called Craigforth.

In 1846 Capt. Sinclair and his eldest son, George, along with several others, were lost at sea whilst on a supply trip to Wellington. The widow "Eliza" Sinclair stayed at Pigeon Bay until 1862 when she, along with her surviving sons, daughters, and their families, left in search of better ranching prospects. On the 300 ton barque Bessie, skippered by Captain Thomas Gay (Jean's husband), they sailed northward eventually landing in Honolulu.

In 1864 they acquired the island of Niihau from King Kamehameha V, and later, the ahupua'a of Makaweli on Kauai. The Makaweli lands were purchased from Crown Princess Victoria Kamamalu Ka'ahumanu, a granddaughter of King Kamehameha I. Over the years, the family built several residences. The first was built on Niihau at Kiekie. Finding Niihau to be too isolated, the family moved to Kauai building a succession of residences on that island. Kapalawai, one of the older family residences, was built in 1897 and was designed to house the entire family. This is where my great grandparents, Aubrey & Alice Robinson lived and where my grandfather, Sinclair Robinson was raised. Another house built sometime later is Kaholuamanu, a rugged hunting lodge located up in the mountains of Makaweli and accessible only by horseback, helicopter or ATV.

Upon arriving in the islands, my family resumed the cattle and sheep ranching they pursued in New Zealand. Later, they started a small sugar plantation, called Gay & Robinson, which is still family owned and operating today. G&R farms about 7,500 acres of sugar at Makaweli.  Makaweli is comprised of approximately 51,000 acres in a rough pie-shaped wedge, stretching from the ocean to mount Waialeale, the center of Kauai. Sugar cane is grown in the lowlands and cattle are raised higher up.

The mountains and valleys of Makaweli are spectacular. In fact, you may have seen them in the movie Jurassic Park. The opening scene, where the helicopter lands at a waterfall and Sir Richard Attenborough gets out, was shot at Manawaiopuna Falls in Makaweli.

On Kauai, one can stay at Pakala, the home built in 1912 by Sinclair Robinson.  This sunny estate sits right on the beach at a world-famous surfing spot called Infinity, or Pakala's if you're local. The view from the front yard is something else.  This old plantation-style home is now available for vacation rental.  It's perfect for families and small groups up to ten adults.  The grounds are also available for weddings and other events.

If you’re interested in staying at Pakala, send an e-mail and we'll respond directly. Mahalo for your visit!

Aloha!
Philip Sinclair Keat

¹⁾ Stories of Long Ago – Niihau – Kauai – Oahu, Ida Elizabeth Knudsen von Holt (1985, Daughters of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii)

Other resources:

The Journal of Pacific History, Vol. 36, No. 2, 2001 pp. 183-199 - "The Sinclairs of Pigeon Bay and the Romantic 'Prehistory' of the Robinsons of Niihau" by Hugh Laracy

Niihau – The Last Hawaiian Island, Ruth M. Tabrah (Press Pacifica, Honolulu, 1987)

Niihau: A Shoal of Time, Gavan Daws and Timothy Head, American Heritage Magazine, Volume XIV, Number 6 (American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., New York, October 1963)

Kauai - The Separate Kingdom, Edward Joestring (University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1984)

pakala@aol.com