Two gentlemen met at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics who would forever put their mark on the spectacular Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. One was Mr. Francis Hyde I’i Brown, Hawaii’s “Mr. Golf” and a owner of a secluded fishing retreat along this celebrated coast. The other was Mr. Noboru Gotoh, Chairman of Tokyu Corporation of Japan. As their friendship grew, they discovered they shared a love for the sport of golf and a passion for the environment that would lay the foundation for a unique and visionary partnership.
Their vision took shape as they planned a resort retreat that would reward its guests while preserving its history and Sense Of Place. As the concept evolved, Hawaiian elders gave this unique place the name Mauna Lani, “Mountain Reaching Heaven.” This name reveres Hawaii’s Mother Earth, the volcanoes and their goddess, Pele. For Hawaiians, it is a name that sets the land apart as a place requiring “informed land stewardship", the caring for a special land. Mauna Lani, the fruit of this partnership and shared vision, now stands as one of the great resorts of the world. The values set forth by Messrs. Gotoh and Brown are evident in the current resort master plan. And the plan continues to unfold with new opportunities for a privileged few to live out the dream in a very real way…at home at Mauna Lani.