Built by Linda Beech Mangelsdorf in 1973, the Waipio Treehouse was a favorite destination of John P. Mangelsdorf and his brother Marco who spent much of 1984 living in the valley and installing hydroelectric equipment to use waterfall energy to power the valley’s buildings.
Originally masterfully constructed by local shipbuilders in a huge and ancient monkeypod, the tree house was worked on and improved for several decades, becoming increasingly more comfortable and outfitted.
For a while, it was a vacation rental for tourists willing to brave a river crossing in a rented 4×4, steep treacherous roads, mud, unpredictable weather, floods, isolation, and minimal amenities. It was a worthwhile and unique experience as the beauty of Waipio Valley is unsurpassed—and likely never to be experienced again as in September 2024, the only road to the area was closed due to landslides.
During its heyday as a tourist destination, it drew guests from hippies to celebrities from around the world. Besides the treehouse, the valley’s experiences included touring a taro farm, eating tropical fruits right from the trees, swimming in the ocean or Waipio River, enjoying several huge waterfalls and pools, fishing for crayfish, and relaxing on the black sand beach.
John P. Mangelsdorf visited the treehouse frequently during the 1980s.
March 4, 2025 at 12:35 am
Hi , I left Waipio in late September 1973 after 6 months living as a sort of care taker in a small cabin on a stream at the end of the valley road on the other side . I believe I met Linda that September just before I left back to florida to raise my first son who was conceived in the valley that summer . I have memories of the tree house being built . For work I part time pilled taro for an old Hawaiian farmer named George . I had many adventures in the Valley including hiking back to where I could put both of my hands on either side of the valley at the same time, also surfing , fishing the lake and ocean . I had a fresh water shrimp trap and a garden so a little rice and the plentiful fruit I seldom left . My last month I mostly camped in the pine trees by the river so I could surf every day before I came back to florida. There were only Maybe 20 people at most living there then . What great memories ! Im thinking of visting some time soon as Im not getting any younger . Do you have any suggestions on a place to stay in the valley for my wife and I ? Im sure you do as well . Take care , Pete Lopez
March 22, 2025 at 2:29 am
Rachel here – and thanks for this comment. Amazing you were there and have such great stories and memories. I’ve been a friend of the Mangelsdorfs for twenty years and wish I had visited the Valley before all the roads washed out. It must have been incredible to surf there and live off of the fish and fruit.
December 13, 2025 at 7:59 pm
Hi!
I found this entry in researching information about a tree house in Waipio Valley. I recently came into ownership of 25 year old cassette tape filled with an hour long story by a woman named Sandra who stayed in this tree house in July of 2000 while on her honeymoon. I’ve been fascinated by this woman’s story. She specifically mentions speaking to Linda Beech and driving a treacherous 4×4 road to get to the property with her husband Stephen. Sandra was 55 when she recorded this cassette. She may still be living or if not I imagine she has children and grand children still living. I know that if something like an hour of my grandmother’s voice existed I would like to have it.
Is Linda Beech still living? Are there perhaps any sort of records that could help me identify Sandra? I only have first names on the tape.
Thank you so much!
December 14, 2025 at 4:16 pm
Good morning, Adam, and thank you for commenting. Sounds like an amazing bit of history you have, and I agree that Sandra or her family would likely love to have it. Sadly, any records of the tree house or guests, if they ever existed, are long destroyed, so finding Sandra along this route is a dead end. Linda Beech died in 2011.
If you ever get the tape digitized, we’d love to receive a copy.
All the best, Rachel
December 27, 2025 at 11:44 pm
Rachel,
Thanks so much for getting back to me! I do have a digitized copy of the cassette. I would gladly send it to you if you let me know what email address to send it to.
Thanks!
Adam