My Expanding List of Things I Find Intriguing About Maui:
- Maui is the second largest of the eight main Hawaiian islands and has the third largest population.
- Maui is the second most densely populated with a population density of 198 persons/sq mile. For reference, Oʻahu (Hawaii’s most densely populated island) is approximately 8 times more densely populated than Maui.
- Kamehameha The Great (Paiʻea) founded the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi with the conquest of Oʻahu in 1795. In 1820, King Kamehameha II (Liholiho) declared Lāhainā the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli) moved the capital from Lāhainā to Honolulu in 1845.
- Weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese submarine I-75, an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai-type cruiser submarine, shelled the Kahului Harbor area on December 15th 1941. Submarine I-75 was later sunk by the US Navy in February of 1944. On December 30th, Japanese submarine I-2, an Imperial Japanese Navy J1 type cruiser submarine, again shelled the Kahului Harbor area. I-2 was sunk by the USS Saufley with depth charges on April 7th 1944 in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Sea.
- The most extensive uninterrupted deep-water reefs ever recorded are in the ʻAuʻau Channel between Maui and Lānaʻi.
- Established in 1831, Lāhaināluna High School on Maui is the oldest school west of the Rocky Mountains.
- The islands of Kahoʻolawe, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi are all a part of Maui County.
- Over a million years ago the islands of Molokini, Kahoʻolawe, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Maui were all connected. This island named Maui Nui was 40% larger than The Big Island is today. As time eroded Maui Nui, the low area in the middle flooded and separate islands were formed.
- Nestled within the West Maui Mountains, Pu'u Kukui is drenched in an astonishing 365 inches of rain yearly. Not far away at the fringe of Haleakalā National Park, "Big Bog" beats it with over 400 inches of annual rainfall.
- There used to be a horse racing track on Kāʻanapali Beach in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. It ran (pun intended) from the Outrigger Kāʻanapali Beach Resort to The Westin Maui Resort.
- Lāhainā’s famous banyan tree was planted over 150 years ago on April 24, 1873 and is the largest banyan tree in the United States.
I add new discoveries to my growing list here after I verify sources.
Geeky Stats I Find Interesting About Maui:
Name: Maui
Nick name: The Valley Isle
Population: 167,417 (12% of state population) (source: U.S. Census Bureau 2019)
Most populated town: Kahului
County seat: Wailuku
Area: 727 sq miles
Highest elevation: 10,023 ft (Haleakalā)
Flower: Lokelani, Damask rose (Rosa × damascena)
Color: ʻĀkala (pink).
Main Airport: Kahului Airport (OGG)
Distance from Kahului to
Honolulu: 94 miles
Los Angeles: 2,495 miles
New York: 4,903 miles
London: 7,229 miles
Tokyo: 3,941 miles
Sydney: 5,110 miles
Temperature at (source: NOAA Climate Data)
Kahului Airport
Average Temperature: 75.9 F
Ave Low Temperature: 67.4 F
Ave High Temperature: 84.3 F
Hottest Months: August/September
Coldest Months: January/February
Annual Rainfall: 17.8 inches
Driest Month: June, followed very closely by September
Wettest Month: December