Maui Hawaii
Maui is the second largest island in the Hawaiian Island
chain. The nickname of Maui is "The Valley Island"
because the island is formed by two parallel and now dormant volcanoes
with a valley between them. The western section of Maui Hawaii was
formed by Mauna Kahalawai (5,788 feet) and the southeastern
section - the world's largest volcano, Haleakala (10,029 feet).
As the middle island of Hawaii, Maui was the center of
Hawaiian royalty. Through the years, it also served as a base for
Christian missionaries, a port of call for whaling vessels, and the
 site
of Hawaii's most productive sugar cane and pineapple plantations.
Nowadays Maui is the most developed of Hawaiian islands. It has
everything for perfect vacation: accommodation for every taste, from
budget hotels to luxurious resorts, gorgeous beaches, nightlife and
entertainment.
Maui has the largest number of swim able beaches in Hawaii and
people come here mostly for watersport activities.
 Maui Hawaii is the number one site in the world for windsurfing.
Hookipa beach is the most popular windsurfing destination on Maui
Hawaii. Spreckelsville in Paia is good for advanced windsurfers,
while Kanaha in Kahului is a top beginners' spot.
Surfing is good on the windward northern and eastern coasts,
with Hookipa Beach near Paia arguably the most consistent spot. Maalaea
Pipeline, on the southern side of Maalaea Bay, is one of the world's top
10 breaks, and Honolua Bay on the northwestern coast is also excellent.
Lahaina
In ancient times Lahaina was the Maui chiefs' royal court and
King Kamehameha I used Lahaina as his base, and for a time it was the
capital of Hawaiian islands. Lahaina's top sightseeing spots are its
19th-century historical sites. The Old Courthouse, built in 1859, is now
home to a gallery exhibiting work by Lahaina artists. The Baldwin House,
the oldest building in Lahaina, was built in 1834. Wo Hing Temple, on
Front St, was built in 1912 by Lahaina's Chinese community. It's now a
museum of Chinese-Hawaiian artifacts. An attached theatre shows films
taken in Hawaii by Thomas Edison at the turn of the century.
Haleakala
Haleakala Crater is the world's largest dormant volcano. Haleakala
National Park is 
centered around the crater and stretches down to the
pools of Oheo Gulch on the coast south of Hana. Haleakala Crater is the highest
point of Maui (8201 ft), from here you can see the West Maui
Mountains the Big Island, Lanai, Molokai and even Oahu.
Kaanapali
Kaanapali, just north of Lahaina, is a high-rise resort
community. The resort includes condominiums, two 18-hole golf courses,
40 tennis courts, a shopping center and six oceanfront hotels. In fact,
the most interesting things to see are the hotels themselves - their
gardens with swans and flamingos, pools with waterfalls and splendidly
decorated lobbies are really very impressive. |
While
here they mate, nurse their newborn calves, and thrill their human
counterparts who delight in observing them from one of Maui's many
whale watch cruises or from vantage points on the shore. Once hunted
to near-extinction, these magnificent marine mammals are now one of
the worldwide conservation movement's major success stories.
