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Oprah Winfrey reportedly owns 2,130 acres on Maui, with much of her land undeveloped, extending into a Haleakalā forest preserve
Oprah Winfrey’s 2,130 acres on Maui include mostly undeveloped land near a Haleakalā forest preserve, with plans for native planting and watershed restoration.
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The land owned by Oprah Winfrey on Maui is 2,130 acres in size, most of which lies undeveloped and spans green hills leading up to a forest reserve located on the side of the mountain called Haleakalā, as revealed by Forbes in February 2024. According to the Forbes report, most of the land was contiguous.
Her property consisted of rolling pastures where cattle grazed, stone walls, a bed-and-breakfast used to host her guests, and an organic farm that Forbes described as unprofitable. According to Winfrey’s property manager, Bob Greene, she was interested in preserving the land in perpetuity.
Recent acquisitions to previous holdings on Maui Island
Winfrey’s land acquisition had been made through acquisitions over a period of years. In 2004, Winfrey acquired 1,000 acres of Haleakalā Ranch property and a 17-acre bed-and-breakfast with 11 rooms located in the Kula area, reported Maui Now. She had also acquired more than 200 acres of coastal lands in Hana between 2002 and 2005.
Maui Now reported in March 2023 that Winfrey had purchased around 870 acres of agricultural land in Kula at a cost of almost $6.6 million. It also says the sale deed shows the four parcels were transferred to Harpo Inc., her Los Angeles-based company. Two parcels of land totaling 520 acres and 330 acres were sold by Ulupalakua Ranch on February 10 for $3.89 million and $2.47 million, respectively. Two more parcels of 10 acres each were sold to the company on December 30, 2022, at $100,000 each.
The magazine reported that Winfrey spent approximately four months a year at her home in Hawaii and purchased the first ranch in Maui around 20 years ago. The land is not completely untouched because it includes livestock, accommodations, and a farm, although most of it remains undeveloped.
Conservation plans amid Hawaii’s land debate
The report said Winfrey had no intention of developing her Maui land. It states that she planned to leave the land empty while planting indigenous plants in order to restore the watersheds in the area. The report noted that Winfrey’s land was unaffected by the Maui wildfires in August 2023, which burned 6,625 acres. In the aftermath of the disaster, Winfrey brought pillows and diapers for victims and, together with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, created the People's Fund of Maui. She also contributed $25 million to the cause.
The magazine's analysis found that 37 billionaires owned at least 218,000 acres of land in the six biggest Hawaiian Islands. That amounted to 5.3% of the islands' total land area and 11.1% of privately owned land, based on Forbes data compiled through December 2023. However, the figure might be even bigger, as some billionaires hide the land they own through various methods.
It should also be mentioned that tensions related to wealthy people buying property and housing in Hawaii had been rising. The pandemic-time luxury properties boom raised prices and worries among Hawaiians about wealthy outside landowners. The issue became a subject of debate regarding restricting certain land sales for non-Americans.
The property reflects the broader debate over private land ownership in Hawaii, particularly as wealthy individuals acquire large tracts of land. According to Forbes, Winfrey intended to keep much of her land undeveloped and restore the area through native planting and watershed restoration.
