Hilltop Hideaway
Restoring a historic Maui dwelling—who says you can’t go home again?
Rita Goldman
Photography by Tony Novak-Clifford | Jason Moore
October 8, 1907. This day we ascended from the lower country . . . to spend at least three weeks in the cool of the mountains. Ascending were Mr. & Mrs. F. C. Atherton, Harriet G. Forbes, Mr. & Mrs. W.O. Aiken, Martha Aiken, Higashi the cook . . . Katsu the maid . . . one wagon, six mules, seven horses, 1 cow, 1 calf and 1 cat. . . . The Athertons left regretfully after a week. The Borns left October 20, declaring that they had spent “the three happiest weeks of one’s life.” —Idlewilde guest book, November 1906 to January 1912Before the 1930s, when a paved road made the summit of Haleakala accessible by automobile, the few hardy travelers who reached it did so on horseback, often camping overnight along the way. Mark Twain did, in 1866. Had he visited a mere decade later, Twain might have traded in his bedroll for a stay at Idlewilde, inscribing his name in its guest book, along with many a well-known Islander.
Built in the early 1870s, the little house not quite halfway up the mountain was a rustic retreat for the cream of island society. They would come up for a few days or a few weeks to hike in the rain forest; pick blackberries, walnuts, peaches and pears that grew in the surrounding gulches; and enjoy Olinda’s cool climate and the views of Maui’s northern coastline and the island of Lana‘i. It was so rustic, in fact, that, throughout its long history, the house was seldom used as a residence. But for nearly four years now, it’s been home to a couple who are descendants of the original owners.
