The Kalaupapa Pier

The Pier at the Kalaupapa Settlement

NPS / Hannah Schwalbe

Quick Facts

Location:

Kalaupapa National Historical Park

Amenities

1 listed

Parking - Auto

The pier was historically the lifeline of Kalaupapa, bringing patients, visitors, staff, and supplies into the settlement. Today, an annual barge brings in large and heavy items, including vehicles, that cannot be brought in by mule or small plane. 

Kalaupapa's steep cliffs and treacherous coastline have always made obtaining supplies difficult. Even today, people at Kalaupapa hold on to items that would be discarded elsewhere in the hopes that they can be used one day.

In the early years, small boats ferried food, supplies, and new patients from ships anchored offshore to this pier. The surf made loading and unloading difficult, but not as difficult as the original pier in Kalawao. The waves are often larger, and the weather is more inclement in Kalawao, and people would risk their lives just to get to shore. 

The Kalaupapa landing dock was completed in 1931, and breakwater stones were put in place. At that time, patients and kōkua were not allowed in areas around the boat landing. Iron post fences with steel cables were built to mark off-limits areas. Construction was finished by mid-July of 1932. In 2007, the National Park Service rebuilt the landing.

Today, the ship lands once a year to deliver much of the settlement's supplies. New vehicles, fuel, building materials, and bulk goods are unloaded here on "Barge Day," which is now an essential and exciting part of Kalaupapa life. One patient-resident described Barge Day as "the number one day, the big day everybody waits for... [the community's] Christmas wishes come true in September