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Maui
 

Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727 square miles (1883 km²). Native Hawaiian tradition gives the origin of the island's name in the legend of Hawaiiloa, the Polynesian navigator attributed with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates how he named the island of Maui after his son who in turn was named for the demi-god Māui. According to legend, the demi-god Māui raised all the Hawaiian Islands from the sea. The Island of Maui is also called the "Valley Isle" for the large fertile isthmus between its two volcanoes.

Maui is part of the State of Hawaii and is the largest island in Maui County. The island had a resident population of 117,644 in 2000—third within the state behind the islands of Oahu and Hawaii. The population is diverse, with many ethnic groups having originally arrived in the islands to work sugar cane and pineapple plantations from countries of the Western Pacific rim. Maui is part of Maui County, the other islands comprising the county being Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. The larger towns on Maui Island include Kahului, Wailuku, Lāhainā, and Kīhei. See Maui County for a list of towns.

History

Polynesians, from Tahiti and the Marquesas, were the original peoples to populate Maui. The Tahitians introduced the kapu system, a strict social order that affected all aspects of life and became the core of Hawaiian culture. Modern Hawaiian history began in the mid-1700s. King Kamehameha I took up residence (and later made his capital) in Lāhainā after conquering Maui in the bloody Battle of Kepaniwai in 1790 in the Īao Valley.


Īao Valley

On November 26, 1778, Captain James Cook became the first European explorer to discover Maui. Cook never set foot on the island because he was unable to find a suitable landing. The first European to visit Maui was the French admiral Jean François de Galaup de La Pérouse, who landed on the shores of what is now known as La Perouse Bay on May 29, 1786. More Europeans followed: traders, whalers, loggers (e.g., of sandalwood) and missionaries. The missionaries began to arrive from New England in 1823, choosing Lāhainā because it was the capital. They clothed the natives, banned them from dancing hula, and greatly altered the culture. They tried to keep whalers and sailors out of the bawdy houses. The missionaries taught reading and writing, created the 12-letter Hawaiian alphabet, started a printing press in Lāhainā, and began writing the islands' history, until then existing only as oral accounts. Ironically, the work of the missionaries both altered and preserved the native culture. The religious work altered the culture while the literacy efforts preserved native history and language for posterity. They started the first school in Lāhainā, which still exists today: Lāhaināluna Mission School. The Mission school opened in 1831 and was the first secondary school to open West of the Rockies.
Looking into "crater"

At the height of the whaling era (1840-1865), Lāhainā was a major whaling centre with anchorage in Lāhainā Roads; in one season over 400 ships visited Lāhainā and the greatest number of ships berthed at one time was about 100. A given ship tended to stay months rather than days which explains the drinking and prostitution in the town at that time. Whaling declined steeply at the end of the 19th century as crude oil (petroleum) replaced whale oil.

Kamehameha's descendants reigned in the islands until 1872. They were followed by rulers from another ancient family of chiefs, including Queen Liliuokalani who ruled in 1893 when the monarchy was overthrown. One year later, the Republic of Hawaii was founded. The island was annexed by the United States in 1898 and made a territory in 1900. Hawaii became the 50th state in U.S. in 1959.

Maui was centrally involved in the Pacific Theatre of World War II as a staging centre, training base, and for rest and relaxation. At the peak in 1943-44, the number of troops stationed on Maui exceeded 100,000. The main base of the 4th Marines was in Haiku. Beaches (e.g., in ) were used for practice landings and training in marine demolition and sabotage.

Modern development

The island has experienced rapid population growth in recent years (e.g., 4.6% in 2001/2002) with Kīhei one of the most rapidly growing towns in the U.S. (see chart). The growth is occurring because many people, having visited Maui, decide to move or retire to the island.

Maui County Population, 1960-2000
19601970198019902000
Total 42,576 45,984 70,847 100,374 128,094
Change 3,408 24,863 29,527 27,720
Change (%) 8.0% 54.1% 41.7% 27.6%
source: CensusScope 2000 Census analysis

Population growth—partly due to an influx of new people typically from Canada and the U.S. mainland—is producing strains, including growing traffic congestion on many of the major roads. There is concern about the availability of affordable housing and access to water. Property prices have risen to levels such that families on average incomes find it difficult to afford renting or buying a home. Property developers have insufficient regulatory or financial incentive to build less expensive (affordable) homes. Maui County Council has been investigating ways of changing the situation.

There have been long-standing concerns about the reliability of Maui's potable water supply; droughts have been declared in most recent years and the Īao aquifer is being drawn from at what some believe are unsustainable rates of above 18 million US gallons (68,000 m³) per day. While the long-term situation remains unclear and reliable supply has not been secured, recent estimates indicate that the total potential supply of potable water on Maui is around 476 million US gallons (1,800,000 m³) per day, many times greater than any foreseeable demand.

At one time in the not too distant past, Sugar cane cultivation used over 80% of the island's water supply (The Water Development Plan of Maui, 1992 – Present?). One pound of refined sugar requires a ton of water to produce. The water used for sugar cultivation is taken mostly from the streams of East Maui, routed though a network of tunnels and ditches hand dug by Chinese labor over a century ago. Controversy exists as to whether the sugar companies have a right to monopolize water from ditches dug on leased public land transporting public water. In 2006, the town of Paia successfully petitioned the County against mixing in treated water from wells known to be contaminated with both EDB and DBCP from former pineapple cultivation in the area (Environment Hawaii, 1996). Agricultural companies have been released from all future liability for these chemicals (County of Maui, 1999).

There is a great deal of discussion about the meaning of—and the way to achieve—smart development. There clearly exists a tension between economic growth and urbanization on the one hand, and the wish to preserve the beauty of Maui and a relaxed way of life on the other. In the past there existed a pro-growth bias in policy with developers and politicians working together to stimulate the economy; now the balance has swung toward more sensitive consideration of community concerns about the dangers of uncontrolled growth and development.

Economy

The major industries are agriculture and tourism. Maui Land & Pineapple and Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar (HC&S, a subsidiary of Alexander and Baldwin Company) dominate agricultural activity. HC&S produces sugarcane on about 37,000 acres (150 km²) of the Maui central valley, the largest sugarcane operation remaining in Hawaii. The cane is irrigated mostly with water drawn from aqueducts that run from the windward (northern) slopes of East Maui Volcano (Haleakalā) that receive considerable rainfall. A controversial feature of sugarcane production is the burning that is done for about 9 months of the year. These are controlled burns of fields to reduce the crop to bare canes just before harvesting. The fires produce smoke that towers above the Maui central valley most early mornings, and ash (locally referred to as "Maui snow") that is carried downwind (often towards north Kīhei).

The retail center for Maui residents is Kahului.

Maui is also an important center for astronomy with the Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory Site being one of the five best astronomical and space surveillance sites in the world.

Topography

Maui is a volcanic doublet: an island formed from two volcanic mountains that abut one another to form the isthmus between them. The older volcano, Mauna Kahalawai, is much older and has been eroded considerably; it is now called the West Maui Mountain. The larger volcano in the East, East Maui Volcano (more commonly called Haleakalā after its famous summit depression) — rises above 10,023 feet (3,050 m). The last eruption occurred around 1790, and the lava flow can be viewed between Āhihi Bay and La Perouse Bay on the southwest shore of East Maui. Both volcanoes are shield volcanoes and the low viscosity of the Hawaiian lava makes the likelihood of large explosive eruptions negligible. The Haleakala Crater is part of Haleakala National Park.

Climate

At sea level Maui has a remarkably stable tropical climate with highs in the region of 29 °C (80 to 85 °F) and lows around 20 °C (65 to 70 °F); rainfall is greater in the northern hemisphere winter (wet season is November through April). However, because of the two volcanic mountains that dominate the topography, Maui has a very wide range of climatic conditions depending on elevation and whether an area faces toward or away from the prevailing Tradewinds (blowing from the northeast). For example the top of the West Maui mountain receives over 400 inches (10 m) of rainfall per year, whereas Kīhei receives less than 10 inches (250 mm), being in the rain shadow of East Maui Volcano (see Orographic precipitation); Kahului airport (the main airport on Maui) has average rainfall of about 19 inches (480 mm), whereas Olinda (upslope from the airport) receives about 73 inches (1.8 m).

Maui has an unusual weather feature known as the Maui vortex, an area of clear sky that often forms over Pukalani due to the swirling of air (a vortex) as it enters the central valley after being forced to move around Haleakalā.

Maui, like the whole of the Hawaiian Islands, has a hurricane season in the late summer and fall, with tropical storms typically approaching from the southeast. Storms initiated by hurricanes or tropical depressions that approach from the southeast are known locally as Kona storms.

Tourism

Maui welcomed 2,225,060 tourists in 2002. The main tourism centres are Lahaina to Kapalua and Kīhei-Wailea, each of which has several luxury resort hotels. Whereas Oahu is most popular with Japanese tourists, Maui tends to appeal especially to visitors from the US mainland and Canada.

Maui is a leading whale-watching center in the Hawaiian Islands due to the fact that many Humpback whales winter in the sheltered Auau Channel between the islands of Maui county. The whales migrate approximately 3,500 miles (5,600 km) from Alaskan waters each autumn and spend the northern hemisphere winter months mating and birthing in the warm waters off Maui. The whales are typically sighted in pods: small groups of several adults and one or more calves. Humpbacks are an endangered species protected by U.S. federal and Hawaii state law. There are estimated to be about 3000 humpbacks in the North Pacific.

Among the many features on Maui popular with tourists are the "Road to Hāna" (the drive from the central valley to Hāna and beyond), the drive up to Haleakalā crater, Makawao (and Maui's Upcountry region), the Īao Valley, and Lindbergh's grave (near Kaupō on East Maui).

A few popular sporting events bring fans from all over, including the Maui Invitational college basketball tournament in November.

wainapanapa_sm.jpg Road to HānaWaiānapanapa

The Maui Chamber of Commerce issues medals, called Maui Trade Dollars, that can be used as currency in local shops and are valued as collectables.

Maui is notable for its world class windsurfing, wave sailing, kitesurfing, and surfing locales such as Hookipa, Jaws at Peahi, Kihei, Kanaha, etc.

Maui Film Festival takes place every June.

Maui is a popular golf destination.

See also

Sources

External links

Maui Nui | Islands of Hawaii

Мауи | Maui | Maui | Maui | Maui | Maui | マウイ島 | Maui | Maui | Maui | Maui | Maui

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Maui".

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