Maui¶

An awesome view of Maui

The island of Maui is one of the islands of Hawaii, a state of the United States of America. It is the second largest of the eight major islands.

Cities¶

Hana – a small isolated town on the rugged eastern coast of Maui. It is well known for its 52 mile scenic drive which connects it to Kahului. The drive can take up to four hours, complete with one lane bridges and hairpin turns. Surrounding the city are lush rainforests, while rolling pastures are prevalent even on Main Street. Hana is home to the historic St. Sophia’s Church as well as beautiful black sand beaches running along the shoreline.
Haiku – an iconic example of Maui’s cultural melting pot. Nestled ten miles upcountry past Paia, the township is known for its agricultural aspects and plantations. It consists of little more than a post office, several shops, and quiet suburbs.
Kahului – was built in the 1950s by a plantation company, and hailed as a “dream city”. It is the commercial hub and transportation center of Maui with the two largest malls, main airport and a deep-water port.
Kaanapali – a tourist heavy region on the west coast. Close to Lahaina, this city sports many hotels and festivals to draw in visitors.
Kapalua – rests at the foot of the West Maui Mountains and is home to one of the most luxurious resort areas on Maui. The region is comprised of a multitude of clear bays and sandy beaches, which showcase championship golf courses along with numerous boutiques and award-winning restaurants.
Kihei – is a renowned tourist destination, featuring condos and beaches on the southwest coast near the volcano, Haleakala.
Lahaina – was once a historic whaling village which has been transformed into a cultural center with many art galleries and museums. With various beach and whaling tours, the city has become one of the main tourist attractions on Maui.
Napili– a beach town on northwest shore near Kapalua which offers calm waters protected by an offshore reef.
Paia – became an important city when sugar mills were built nearby. Since their construction in the late 1800s, immigrants of diverse backgrounds including Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese flocked to the region for work. The beautiful rural area is currently known for its beaches and surfing/windsurfing locations.
Wailea and Makena – are master-planned resort areas located just south of Kihei.
Wailuku – the northwestern region of Maui, ten minutes from Kahului airport. The city offers as a gateway into the Iao valley, which was once a burial ground for Hawaiian Chiefs. It houses the county seat of Maui’s local government, and is a large commercial center with a variety of unique storefronts.

Tourist Information¶

Though English is mainly used in Maui, the language of Maui is the same as the entire island of Hawaii. The Hawaii pidgin language originates from Polynesian languages. It is part of an Austronesian language family, which are languages that are widely dispersed through Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Some languages that helped create the Hawaiian pidgin are English, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, and several others. The Hawaiian alphabet consists of 13 characters. There are five vowels and eight consonants (h, k,l,m,n, p, w and apostrophe). An apostrophe I usually used as an Okina, which is moral of a glottal stop or a catch in the throat. Learning some pronunciation and words of Hawaii can help tremendously during a visit to Maui:

Note

While Maui has a basic public transportation system, many places are not accessible by bus, and most visitors rent a car