Moku’ulu, the royal compound where Native Hawaiian nobility resided for centuries, is buried beneath the burned remnants of a ballpark. Maui County officials hope to restore the Lahaina landmark over the next several years.

More than a year after the governor threw his support behind efforts to restore one of the most culturally significant sites in Lahaina, the county has begun setting plans in motion — albeit slowly.

Mokuʻula, a sandbar island surrounded by a historic fishpond that was once the center of the Hawaiian Kingdom, remains buried just a few feet beneath a derelict ballpark with a rusted backstop, patches of brown grass and overgrown weeds in the historic Maui town.

It has been that way for generations, but calls to restore the wetland have gained momentum after the park was

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