Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [262]
A plethora of adventures await on land. Strap on a pair of boots and hike the crunchy lunarlike surface of the world’s largest dormant volcano. Twist your way along the jungly cliff-hugging Hana Hwy, soaking up waterfalls and swimming holes. Explore the salt-sprayed whaling town of Lahaina. Foodies, take note. You could come to Maui to do nothing but eat, and not be disappointed. It doesn’t hurt that the rich and famous favor Maui, which helps top-chef restaurants to thrive. But you don’t need a fat wallet to treat your palate – just step into the tasty café-laden streets of Pa′ia, where everything’s green, local and hip.
Add it all up and it’s little wonder Maui draws more visitors than any other Neighbor Island.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Catch a soulful crater-rim sunrise at Haleakalā National Park (Click here)
Dive the crystal-clear waters of Molokini Crater (Click here)
Wind across 54 one-lane bridges on the Hana Highway (Click here)
Slurp mango shave ice at Tom’s Mini-Mart (Click here)
Snorkel the turtle town waters of Malu′aka Beach (Click here)
Ogle Maui’s favorite green landmark at ′Iao Valley State Park (Click here)
Bask in the aloha at the Old Lahaina Luau (Click here)
Swim in the cascading pools at ′Ohe′o Gulch (Click here)
Pedal-power your own smoothie at off-the-grid Laulima Farms (Click here)
Watch the sunset from glorious Big Beach (Click here)
POPULATION: 120,000
AREA: 728 SQ MILES
NICKNAME: VALLEY ISLE
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HISTORY
Maui’s early history mirrors the rest of Hawaii’s, with warring chiefs, periods of peace, missionaries, whalers and sugarcane. At the time of statehood in 1959, Maui’s population was a mere 35,000. In 1961 Maui retained such a backwater appearance that director Mervyn LeRoy filmed his classic The Devil at 4 O’Clock in Lahaina, where the dirt roads and untouristed waterfront offered a perfect setting for the sleepy South Pacific isle depicted in his adventure movie. Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra not only shot many of their scenes at Lahaina’s Pioneer Inn, but slept there too, since the inn’s two dozen rickety rooms represented the bulk of Maui’s hotel options.
Enter sugar giant Amfac in 1962, which sweetened its pot by transforming 600 acres of canefields in Ka′anapali into Hawaii’s first resort destination outside Waikiki. Things really took off in 1974 with the first nonstop flight between the mainland USA and Kahului. Maui soon blossomed into the darling of Hawaii’s tourism industry.
Its growth spurt hasn’t always been pretty. In the mid-1970s the beachside village of Kihei was pounced on by developers with such intensity it became a rallying call for antidevelopment forces throughout Hawaii. Much of the last decade has been spent catching up with Kihei’s rampant growth, mitigating traffic and creating plans intent on sparing the rest of Maui from willy-nilly building sprees. More recent development has taken a decidedly upscale approach, leaving Maui with some fancy resorts and the highest room rates in Hawaii.
CLIMATE
Sun-worshippers will want to hightail it to Maui’s west coast, which boasts dry, sunny conditions from Kapalua in the north to Makena in the south. Hana and the jungle-covered eastern side of the island pick up much more rain. Annual rainfall averages just 15in along the west coast but 69in in Hana. The Upcountry slopes, beneath Haleakalā, commonly have intermittent clouds, making for a cooler, greener respite and ideal conditions for land-based activities like hiking and horseback riding. Maui’s rainiest months are between December and March.
Temperatures vary more with elevation and location than with season. Daytime highs