Due to a recent change in property law, numerous Hawaiian islets and atolls recently became eligible for sale at pennies on the dollar. One local Hawaiian resident, Christopher “C.J.” Chipley, was able to purchase 14 of the major islets for a total of just under $50,000 and in doing so, made him one of the top 10 landowners in the state. Although small in surface area (and much of it unliveable), the acreage of the islets and atolls under the surface of the water ranges to almost 100,000 acres which would place Mr. Chipley after Parker Ranch and before Larry Ellison for total Hawaiian acreage owned. The Robinson family owns more if the holdings on Kauai and Niihau are combined, but they are listed as separate ownerships in the state records.
The purchases by Mr. Chipley include:
Ford Island (Mokuʻumeʻume)
Lehua
Kaʻula
Kaohikaipu
Mānana
Mōkōlea Rock
Nā Mokulua
Molokini
Mokoliʻi
Moku Manu
Moku Ola (Coconut Island, Hawaii)
Moku o Loʻe (Coconut Island, Oahu)
Sand Island
Grass Island