Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Debuts a New Cultural Experience, The Queen’s Garden: Uluhaimalama

Hawaiʻi’s Five-Star, Five-Diamond Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea proudly unveils The Queen’s Garden: Uluhaimalama, a new cultural experience within the Resort’s interior courtyard dedicated to Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaiʻi’s last reigning monarch. Shaped by the manaʻo (wisdom) of respected Hawaiian cultural practitioners and kumu, the garden offers six educational stations rooted in tradition, heritage, and storytelling—each sharing a distinct perspective on the Queen's life, legacy and enduring connection to the ʻāina (land) she loved.

“We welcome guests, visitors and the community not only into this special place, but into a story that continues to live and grow through all who honor it,” says Aunty Mopsie Tuivaioge, Director of Hawaiian Programs at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. “Our hope is that everyone who enters leaves with a deeper understanding of Queen Liliʻuokalani’s profound love for the ʻāina, her enduring legacy, and the values she carried forward for her people.”

A Journey Shaped by Hawaiian Voices

The Queen’s Garden experience unfolds across six self-guided stations where guests are invited to explore at their own pace, uncovering distinct perspectives on Queen Liliʻuokalani’s life and reign, Hawaiian history, cultural practices, and traditions. Together, the stations trace themes of resilience and a deep reverence to ʻāina and the enduring role of heritage, preservation, and place in carrying the Queen’s legacy forward. 

• Aunty Mopsie Tuivaioge, Director of Hawaiian Programs at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, welcomes guests and invites reflection on Queen Liliʻuokalani’s resilience, grace, aloha, and devotion to her people and culture.

• Kumu Hula Cody Pueo Pata places the garden within the broader story of the Honuaʻula moku (district) and its longstanding relationship to ʻāina and water. The station explores the traditional ahupuaʻa system through which land and water are understood as interconnected from mountain to sea, as well as the life-giving springs, streams, and fishponds that historically sustained communities in Honuaʻula. 

• Kumu Hula Hokulani Holt explores the political pressures of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s final years, the Queen’s decision to yield her authority under protest to prevent bloodshed, and her subsequent imprisonment at ʻIolani Palace, illuminating the Queen’s bravery, courage, and devotion to her people and Hawaiian culture.

• Kumu Hula Kamaka Kūkona introduces the garden’s pā noa, a space for cultural practice and ceremony named Puʻuwaikilanuiokalani, meaning “courageous heart of the heavenly one,” in tribute to the Queen’s resilient spirit. The station honors hula as a form of storytelling through which Hawaiian history, genealogy, and spiritual knowledge are passed down, reflecting Queen Liliʻuokalani’s enduring legacy as a prolific composer whose mele (songs) continue to live through hula and cultural practice today.

• Uncle Kevin Gavagan, Director of Landscaping and The Queen’s Garden Steward at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, explores Queen Liliʻuokalani’s deep connection to the plants she cultivated, including crown flowers, roses, pikake, and puakenikeni, and the role of fragrance and living landscapes in preserving memory and cultural connection. 

• Kumu Hula Karl Veto Baker, steward of Uluhaimalama on Oʻahu, tells the story of the garden Queen Liliʻuokalani established in 1894 as a symbol of hope. Plants descended from and gifted by the original Uluhaimalama on Oʻahu now grow within The Queen's Garden at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.  In tribute to the Queen, who arranged Uluhaimalama's entrance under a full moon the night before its dedication, this section was planted under a full moon as well, carrying her legacy forward through living roots.

A Living Garden Rooted in Place, Heritage, and Intention

Years in the making, The Queen’s Garden was brought to life through the shared vision of Aunty Mopsie Tuivaioge and Uncle Kevin Gavagan, in close collaboration with respected Hawaiian kumu and cultural practitioners. Designed as both a cultural offering and living landscape, the garden provides a space for reflection, learning, and deeper connection. The garden brings together plants treasured by Queen Liliʻuokalani, including crown flowers, roses, pikake, and puakenikeni, alongside native species connected to the cultural and agricultural history of the surrounding Honuaʻula region. Plants were also gifted directly from Uluhaimalama on Oʻahu, creating a living connection between the Queen's historic garden and Maui. At its heart, the garden's pā noa—the only one of its kind at a resort on Maui—offers a dedicated space for hula and cultural gatherings, ensuring the practice of storytelling through movement and mele continues to be lived, not just remembered. Through its plantings, stories, and future community events, The Queen's Garden invites guests, visitors, and locals alike to deepen their connection to Queen Liliʻuokalani, the ʻāina, and the history carried through the voices of Hawaii.

The opening of The Queen’s Garden marks the latest chapter in Four Seasons Resort Maui’s ongoing evolution, reflecting the Resort’s commitment to thoughtful stewardship of Hawaiian culture through close collaboration with Hawaiian voices and cultural practitioners.

The Queen’s Garden is open to resort guests, locals, and visitors. For more information, visit fourseasons.com/maui or call (808) 874-8000.