Maui is known worldwide for its beautiful scenery, amazing sunsets, incomparable beach and ocean activities, unmatched golf venues, bountiful luaus, and countless other fun things to see and do, but visitors should also include some of the fantastic historical spots to complete their Maui bucket lists. Every city or, in this case, every island has its own feel and a big part of that emanates from its history.
Maui’s colorful native history and multi-cultural past make it truly unique and provide an array of sites that shouldn’t be missed to fully appreciate all that characterizes this popular island. Here is just a sampling of many places to visit while on the Valley Isle of Maui.
Maluuluolele Park in Lahaina is the site of a former royal residence that spans ancient Hawaiian history. The site was maintained until 1918, but it was destroyed then in the name of progress. Today, the park shows no signs of the actual royal compound, but artist depictions at the location give visitors a bird’s eye glimpse into the past.
Once a grass shack, the Kaahumanu Church, as it stands today, was erected in 1876 to honor Queen Kaahumanu. She was the wife of Hawaii’s first king, Kamehameha I, and she became the first royal to embrace Christianity. Styled after early New England churches, it’s open on Sundays, when hymns are still sung there in Hawaiian.
In the 1800s, thousands of immigrants were brought in from Japan, China, the Philippines, Portugal, and other countries to work the sugar cane, pineapple, and other agricultural fields that helped Hawaii prosper and grow.
The Lahaina Jodo Mission often served as a sanctuary for Japanese plantation workers in the 1800s. In 1968 to mark the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Japanese, a huge statue of Buddha was put into the beautiful, peaceful gardens, which are open to the public to enjoy today.
Wo Hing Temple was built in 1912 for Chinese sugarcane workers. The temple houses a religious shrine and many artifacts telling the story of the Chinese in Hawaii. In an original cook shack, several movies filmed by Thomas Edison are presented that feature Hawaii in the early 1900s.
Maui’s Baldwin House, built in 1834, became a home base for American missionaries. Today, it displays fascinating artifacts from this period in Hawaiian history.
Maui’s sugarcane industry is detailed at the Alexander & Baldwin Museum, which is the former home of a plantation supervisor. A display of photos, artifacts and documents show how sugar grew into a huge economic engine for Maui. Today, Hale Pai is a museum that displays one of Hawaii’s first printing presses from the 1830s that was used to create a dictionary of the Hawaiian language. Missionaries used the book to more easily teach Christianity to natives in their own language, which was put into written form by the Missionaries.
In the latter part of the 19th Century, FreChurch of the Holy Ghost was constructed for Portuguese Catholics. Modeled after a Portuguese crown, the elaborate church features a beautifully decorated interior and a tiered exterior with large cross that’s hard to miss.
The Bailey House, which began as a girl’s school in the mid-1800s, became the home of Edward and Caroline Bailey, the missionary couple who ran the school. Today, it’s the site of the Maui Historical Society, which operates it as a museum with many relics, photos and documents from the period.
The Baldwin House, built in 1834, became a home base for American missionaries. Today, it displays fascinating artifacts from this period in Hawaiian history, including original house furnishings.
The sacred place for Hawaiians called Piilanihale Heiau was used for ancient religious purposes and dates back at least to the 1500s and the time of Maui chieftain King Piilani. He helped unite the Maui tribes and established the temple that had walls measuring 50 feet in height; the largest heiau in Hawaii. The heiau is located on the grounds of the Kahanu Garden, which is part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Maui’s Iao Needle is a must-see landmark in the lush Iao Valley, location of ancient battles.
In Central Maui, visitors can take in the Halekii-Pihana State Monuments, which are the ruins of ancient heiaus originally built in the 13th Century and reconstructed in 1958. Also in the middle of the Island are the lush Iao Valley State Park and the Iao Needle, one of Maui’s most popular landmarks.
Olowalu Petroglyphs are ancient drawings preserved in rocks that tell of everyday life long ago. Guides can take visitors to view the site and relate the petroglyph meanings to ancient Hawaiians.
Whalers Village with its 75 oceanfront shops and restaurants is also home to Maui’s Whaling Museum. Located in the Kaanapali Beach area, it’s just minutes from the Royal Lahaina Resort, which is the perfect headquarters for anyone visiting Maui. The resort’s Activities Center can arrange tours and provide guidance to the many sights that make Maui such a must-see, must-experience destination. Visit www.hawaiihotels.com for more information.