Stanbro said the trust recently received a $100,000 "challenge grant" to match other donations and is now less than $300,000 short of the amount needed for the purchase by the Jan. 31 deadline.

In July, the Trust for Public Land borrowed $4.05 million to buy the 70-acre property from landowner Hanahuli Associates in a last-minute move to protect it from sale to a private interest.

Since then, the county kicked in $1 million and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs approved a $342,000 contribution. Earlier, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offered a little more than $2 million, and the USDA Rural Development Program also approved grants.

Stanbro said the trust hopes to convey the property to Maui County by the end of January. The Ho'onipa'a No Hana Foundation will hold a conservation easement restricting development and requiring local input in land management.

The purchase would end a two-year campaign to permanently protect a property described as rich in natural and cultural resources.

King Kalakaua maintained a summer home at Mu'olea, on the coast between Hana and Kipahulu, until his death in 1891, and it was passed to his sister, Lili'uokalani.

Archaeological features include the remnants of a fishing village and a heiau. Natural resources include native goby fish, or 'o'opu, as well as shrimp, or 'opae, in Ala'alaula Stream at the property's edge.

The land is being used for pasture, but rural zoning would have brought development of up to 140 homes.