MAUI - THE MAGIC ISLES
 

If there is one reason for Maui's enduring popularity it is it's diversity -- the island's uncanny ability to dazzle and soothe almost at the same time.

 The second largest island in the Hawaiian chain, Maui is 48 miles long and 26 miles across. But into that space is packed long, sandy beaches, tropical rainforests, rolling green pasture lands, dryland forests, and spectacular rocky cliffs.

 Although Maui's average temperature is between 75 and 85 degrees, in one day you can huddle at the top of Haleakala Crater watching a sunrise in 40 degree weather, sit on the sand at Kihei enjoying the tradewinds at noon, and watch the sun set in the west in the cooler evenings.

 The close proximity to Maui of the neighboring islands of Lana`i and Moloka`i, both a part of Maui County, gives the feeling of being sheltered by a large, relatively calm lake. There is a coziness about seeing another island off in the distance. One you can almost reach out and touch.

On any given day, you can hop on a ferry, small plane or catamaran and spend time snorkeling off one of Lana`i's beaches, or trekking the east end of Moloka`i with Hawaiian guides who are natives of the island.You can do this without ever having to go through the annoying process of packing and unpacking, or airports and check-in counters.

Maui's beaches are legend. Pristine and sheltered, especially on the leeward coasts, they have been lauded on top 10 lists for years. The beach fronting the Kapalua Bay Hotel is among the best. But you can't dismiss the stretch of white sand at Kaanapali, or the beaches of Kihei and the continuous coves at Wailea and Makena.

 

MAUI FACT SHEET

SIZE:  Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands with a land area of 729 square miles. It is 48 miles long and 26 miles across at its widest point.

POPULATION: 103,000.  Ethnic mix: 36% Caucasian, 23% Japanese, followed by Filipino, Hawaiian and Chinese.

BIGGEST TOWNS:
  1. Kahului
  2. Wailuku
  3. Lahaina

MAJOR INDUSTRIES:

  1. Tourism
  2. Sugar
  3. Pineapple
  4. Cattle
  5. Diversified Agriculture

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE:  75-85 degrees Fahrenheit

MILES OF SHORELINE: 120 linear miles.

NUMBER OF BEACHES: 81 accessible beaches.  39 have public facilities.  Sands may be white, gold, black, salt and pepper, green or garnet, due to ancient volcanic activity.

PRINCIPAL RESORT AREAS: In West Maui the principal resort areas are Kaanapali and Kapalua; South Maui's prime resorts are Makena and Wailea.  Hana,  Kihei, Napili, Honokowai and Upcountry are also visitor destinations.

HIGHEST PEAK:  Haleakala Volcano (dormant), 10,023 feet.  The summit depression is 21 miles across, and 4,000 feet deep, large enough to hold the island of Manhattan.

NUMBER OF HOTELS:  Approximately 61, with 10,664 rooms

NUMBER OF VACATION CONDOMINIUMS:  Approximately 103, with 7,343 units.

NUMBER OF BED AND BREAKFAST INNS: 40 (less than half are licensed-we are)

NUMBER OF VISITORS ANNUALLY:  In 1990, 2.3 million visitors came to the island of Maui.

NUMBER OF WHALES ANNUALLY:  Approximately 1,500 whales winter in Maui waters.  There are only 7,000-8000 humpback whales surviving today. An adult whale is 45 feet long and weighs 40 tons.  Baby whales born in Maui waters weigh a mere 2,000 pounds.

MOST POPULAR VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:  The attractions and places consistently drawing the most visitors are Haleakala National Park, Lahaina Town,  `Iao Valley State Park and Hana District.

PARKS:  There are 10 state parks, 94 county parks and community centers and 1 national park, Haleakala National Park.

GOLF COURSES:  Maui has sixteen golf courses.

SUPERLATIVES:
Maui was voted "Best Island in the World" by the readers of Cond‚ Nast Traveler magazine for seven consecutive years since 1994 and "World's Best Island" by  the readers of Travel & Leisure magazine for four years in a row since 1996.

1.  Maui has more miles of swimmable beach than any other Hawaiian island.
2.  Maui has the largest dormant volcano in the world, Haleakala.
3. Maui has the second highest waterfall in the United States.
4. Maui had the lowest temperature ever recorded in the Hawaiian Islands, 11   degrees in 1961, atop Haleakala.

 

AIRPORTS:  The main airport is at Kahului in the center of Maui.  There is also a smaller airport at West Maui, and a commuter airport at Hana.

The County of Maui includes the islands of Moloka'i and Lana'i, as well as the island of Maui.

HAWAIIAN CULTURE IS ALIVE AND WELL ON MAUI

Hawaii's rich cultural heritage is one of the grandest flourishing in the Pacific. First discovered by Polynesian voyagers sailing from the Marquesas in the South Pacific in great double-hulled canoes around the year 450 A.D., Hawaii later became the focus for other waves of migrations from Tahiti.

It was in the utter isolation of Hawaii, miles on every side from any other land, that its unique culture developed. The early Hawaiians established a sound system of land and ocean management, a system of chiefs and religious laws, and later in the 19th century a monarchy. The arts in Hawaii flourished and artists were highly respected by society.

Although much about Hawaii has changed since that fateful day in 1778 when Captain James Cook first "discovered" these islands, the Hawaiian culture has proved to be amazingly resilient. In recent years everything from the hula to arts and crafts have seen a healthy revival throughout the islands. On Maui it finds a beautiful expression.

THE HULA

In the absence of a written language, the history, genealogy (critical to the spiritual beliefs of Hawaiians) and the recording of great events were kept in the chants and dances of the people.

A hula dancer was dedicated to a life of discipline and study from early childhood. Dancers, both male and female, left their families to live in a hula halau where they were taught the spiritual as well as physical aspects of the dance. Their place in society was secured.

Through the hula the stories of the people were passed from generation to generation in haunting chants and movements. Hula was accompanied by instruments made from gourds, bamboo, feathers, shark skin and ocean pebbles.

Closely tied to religious as well as secular celebrations, the hula began a decline with the fall of the ancient kapu system after the death of the great king,  Kamehameha I. Its closely held secrets became even more so. But, the most devastating blow came with the arrival of Christian missionaries from New England in the 1820s. The unclad bodies and suggestive movements of the dance scandalized the newcomers.

 Hula went underground for years and was practiced and passed on in secret until the ascension to the Hawaiian throne of the elected King David Kalakaua in 1874. Kalakaua, nostalgic for the glory of old Hawaii and wrestling with the tumultuous changes of the time, reintroduced the hula in a grand manner at his inauguration on the grounds of Iolani Palace. The Hawaiian people were ecstatic.

 The new hula (hula auwana) and the ancient (hula kahiko) continued in the years that followed. The new dance incorporated imported instruments such as the ukulele, guitar, bass and the steel guitar. Hula songs began using English words and the "hapa haole hula" (half-white) was born.

With what is being called the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s, hula and related Native Hawaiian arts are seeing a revitalization like never before. On Maui leading proponents such as the late Auntie Emma Sharpe, Nina Maxwell, Hokulani Holt Padilla and Keali'i Reichel have made giant strides in presenting hula in an accurate and respectful manner.

 Hula is now celebrated in several Maui festivals including Na Mele O Maui, Haku Mele O Hana, Hula O Na Keiki and Moloka`i's Ka Hula Piko. Through these events the knowledge of the dance is passed to the next generation. Hula is also performed in the resort hotels, at public lu`au and in shopping centers. Free hula lessons in the modern version are offered in many of the hotels.

HAWAIIAN MUSIC

When you think of Hawaiian music, you probably think of Don Ho crooning "Tiny Bubbles." If you are older, you grew up to the strains of "Hawaii Calls" on the radio. It was the syrupy, nostalgic music of movies and nightclubs.

Music has always been important to every day life in Hawaii. When the missionaries arrived they immediately formed church choirs and translated hymns into the Hawaiian language. Those hymns are still sung in churches throughout Maui.

Many of Hawaii's rulers supported musical talents and wrote music themselves. Hawaii's last queen, Liliuokalani, wrote haunting melodies of a land lost while imprisoned in a room in Iolani Palace by American sugar planters and their supporters. Her most famous composition is the beautiful, "Aloha Oe."

Along with the resurgence of interest in hula came a renewed excitement for Hawaiian music. Contemporary Hawaiian music, with its inclusion of musical forms from reggae, country western and Broadway, is enjoying a new "golden age."

 Among Maui's most prominent Hawaiian entertainers are Keali'i Reichel, Pekelo, Uluwehi Guerrero, Amy Hanaiali`i Gilliom, the duo Hapa, and Willie K.

THE LEI

Hawaiians had no precious stones or metals. Their jewelry came from the land and sea -- garlands of flowers, ferns, shells, feathers, seeds and leaves. They are still given to mark every occasion in a person's life, birthdays, weddings, graduations, arrivals, departures and funerals.

When a building is dedicated fragrant strands of maile are untied at the entrance to signify good tidings. Sweet smelling lei such as pikake (jasmine) or pakalana are given to women to be worn as a seductive perfume. A man celebrating an important occasion will be given a lei such as maile entwined with bright yellow ilima.

Maui's school children celebrate May Day as Lei Day and come to school wearing lei of every conceivable sort. Even candy and money lei are seen. Lei making contests are held to show off the diversity of materials and styles. Lei are worn as hat bands, on the wrists and ankles of dancers, encircling the heads of brides and canoe paddlers. Even horses have their special lei for parades.

THE HAWAIIAN QUILT

When the missionary wives unpacked their trunks from New England and Hawaiian women spotted their quilts a new art form was born.

Hawaiian women learned to stitch and quilt their own designs cut in one piece out of cotton calico. The result was spectacular. Soon designs were kept secret as other Hawaiian crafts had been in ancient times. They obtained great spiritual and artistic significance. Quilts were designed with subtle meanings and named accordingly.

When the Hawaiian kingdom fell and Hawaiians were no longer allowed to fly their flag, they quietly made their bed quilts into flags so that each morning they could still wake up "under the flag of Hawaii."
Today the Hawaiian quilting technique can be seen in pillows, children's crib quilts, beach totes and even Christmas ornaments. Hotel lobbies have beautiful quilts hung as decorative pieces and the designs are silk screened onto bed comforters.
 

KAPA

Ancient Hawaiians pounded the bark of the mulberry, or wauke tree, into a felt-like fabric called kapa which was used for everything from sails for canoes to bedding and clothing. The pounded fabric was then decorated with colored natural dyes and primitive geometric designs. Experts on Polynesian crafts consider Hawaiian kapa some of the best quality in the Pacific.

Kapa is almost considered a lost art. It is so prized that when you see it displayed in museums such as the Bailey House Museum in Wailuku or hotel lobbies, it is almost always under glass. One of Maui's most gifted kapa makers is Pua Van Dorpe of Lahaina.

FEATHERWORK

Feathers were used to create the highest forms of Hawaiian jewelry and adornments. Only men and women of the highest ranks wore feather lei, helmets and capes. The native birds which supplied the feathers were carefully cultivated. A natural glue was applied to the limbs of trees and the birds were caught. A few feathers were taken from their tails and they were then released. Unfortunately, many of these early birds have died off due to the urbanization of Hawaii and the importation of diseases.

Today the most common featherwork is seen in lei and hat bands. Craftspeople can be found at community sales throughout the island.

WOODCARVING

Hawaii's forests yielded many beautiful woods such as koa, milo and ohia -- hardwoods of exceptional beauty that were used for furniture, flooring and containers.  Hawaii's cabinet makers flourished in the years after western contact in the 1800s and early 1900s. In recent years there has been a renewed interest in working with Hawaiian woods. Many Maui art galleries and craft fairs feature the contemporary work of island artists.

LANGUAGE

While language is not strictly an art form, it is essential to any cultural expression. Native Hawaiian language belongs to the same root group as Tahitian, Samoan and Maori. Once spoken throughout the island chain, it is now used mostly in songs, dance and for ceremonial purposes. Many Hawaiian words have survived and are used in everyday conversation such as pau hana (finished work), ono (delicious) and mahalo (thank you).

Today many Maui children are taught the Hawaiian language at the Punana Leo pre-school in an immersion program or at the University of Hawaii. There are efforts at all levels to relearn and use the language in a correct and accurate manner.

TIME LINE MAUI

2,000,000 BC   Maui's first volcano rises from the depths of the ocean and appears above the surface of the waves.

1,000,000 BC   Haleakala breaks the surface.  Flows from the two volcanoes join to form the island of Maui, they also connect with other volcanoes that later form the separate islands of Lana`i, Moloka`i and Kahoolawe.  Scientists refer to the giant prehistoric landmass, before the break-up, as Maui Nui, Big Maui.

450 AD  The first Polynesian explorers from the Marquesas Islands discover Hawaii.  Settlement of the islands begins.  Recent archaeological evidence is 
suggesting a much earlier date.

700 Waves of colonists from Tahiti arrive.

 The succession of Maui kings
 Piilani (ruled during late 14th and early 15th centuries)
 Kiha-a-piilani
 Kama-lala-walu
 Kauhi-a-kama
 Kalani-kau-maka'o-wakea
 Lono-honua-kini
 Kaulahea
 Kekaulike
 Kamehameha-nui
 Kahekili

1778   Captain James Cook of England discovers Hawaii for the Western world but never sets foot on Maui.

1787   Captain Jean Francois de Galaup de La Perouse becomes the first foreigner to step ashore on Maui, at Makena, in the bay now named after him.  (Perouse decided not to claim the island for the King of France, despite his orders.)

1790   Kamehameha the Great defeats King Kahekili and his Maui forces, bringing Maui into the united Hawaiian kingdom.

1802   Kamehameha the Great names Lahaina as the capital of Hawaiian kingdom.

1819   Kamehameha the Great dies.  His widow, Queen Kaahumanu, defies the power of the priests, and the people topple the old religion. 
It is also the year the first whaling ship, the Balena out of New Bedford, Massachusetts arrives in Lahaina.

1823   The first New England missionaries arrive on Maui.

1825   The first of the battles between the whalers and the missionaries erupts in Lahaina.

1828   Maui's first sugar mill begins operations.

1831   The first high school west of the Rocky Mountains, Lahainaluna, is established on Maui.

1831   The Baldwin Mission House, the oldest surviving house on Maui is built.

1850   The capital of the Hawaiian nation is moved from Lahaina to Honolulu.

1852   The first sugar plantation laborers begin to arrive from Kwangtung, China.

1885   Japanese immigration to Maui begins.

1893  The constitutional Hawaiian monarchy is overthrown by American settlers living in Hawaii.

1903   Dwight Baldwin plants the first pineapple on Maui at Haiku.

1916   Haleakala joins the national park system of the U.S.A.  In 1961 it becomes a national park in its own right.

1941   Pearl Harbor is bombed by Japan and martial law is declared in Hawaii.

1946   The first resort on Maui, the Hotel Hana-Maui, opens.

1959   Hawaii becomes the 50th state of the United States.

1961   Kaanapali opens as Hawaii's first master-planned resort.

1976   The Hokule'a, replica of an ancient Polynesian voyaging canoe, sets sail from Maui for Tahiti, recreating the ancestral journeys.