ʻAinahou

Herbert C. Shipman was a locally renowned businessman, cattle rancher, wildlife conservationist, philanthropist, and descendant of a missionary family in Hawaiʻi. Fearing a Japanese invasion when World War II was looming, Shipman sought a safe retreat for himself and his family. He found it not far from Volcano Village on land leased from Bishop Estate four miles down slope from Kīlauea’s caldera.

Shipman lived part time on the site called ʻAinahou, from 1941 to 1971, creating a unique Craftsman-style house and gardens that showcased his vast horticultural collection, including orchids, orchards and rare plants from around the world, all supported by an on-site plant nursery and a unique rainwater catchment system. Shipman also is credited with helping to save the endangered nēnē, which numbered less than 40 in 1941, by moving them from Haena to ʻAinahou in 1946. Today, the nēnē is off the federal endangered species list.

The ranch house is a two-story wooden bungalow with redwood siding, cut-lava stone foundations and a low gabled roof sheathed in corrugated metal. It incorporates elements of both the Adirondack and Japanese styles.

In his book The Shipmans of East Hawaii, Emmett Cahill notes that during World War II ʻAinahou “was a working ranch, with several hundred head of cattle supplying meat to the military. It continued as a profitable venture for another 20 years, with its beef going to Hilo outlets.”

Today the National Park Service says the location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship of the estate “create the aesthetic and historic sense of a past time and place, that of Shipman’s occupation, retaining the aspect of feeling and establishes a direct association with the man who developed the site.”

Shipman gave up his lease in 1971 and eventually the property was transferred to the National Park Service.  However, due to budget cuts and efforts to protect the nēnē still on the site, the house and grounds are closed to the public.