Makai

Toward the ocean; the seaward direction. Used in Hawaiian spatial orientation to describe direction toward the coast.

In the thesis, the mauka-to-makai orientation is fundamental to understanding both the ahupuaʻa system and the proposed recovery framework. The ahupuaʻa organized land as a continuous unit from mountains (mauka) to sea (makai), integrating natural water systems for agriculture, community sustenance, and ecological balance. The proposed framework restores this mauka-to-makai hydrological continuity severed by plantation-era development, organizing water-sensitive infrastructure from upland capture through urban distribution to coastal discharge.