At the time when the earth became hot
At the time when the heavens turned about
At the time when the sun was darkened
To cause the moon to shine

The ancient Hawaiian Kumulipo Chant tells of a time when islands rose from the oceans, when light broke through dark and how Maui came to be.

Stretching 48 Miles across and 26 miles from north to south, Maui has one hundred and twenty miles of coastline with over forty-two miles of white sand beaches, Maui also has the largest number of swimable beaches in Hawaii with Majestic Haleakala and the dramatic west Maui mountains in the background.

There’s nothing like it under the sun.

“When first formed, it was called Maui Nui, this was a huge land mass about 5,600 square miles, almost twice as large as the Big Island of Hawaii is today.

In the beginning, Maui Nui was consisted of seven volcanoes: Haleakala being the youngest and largest.  The peaks of these seven volcanoes then became islands because as the glaciers receded in north America the sea level rose.  The sea level then created these islands we know today as Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Maui the largest.

Today’s Maui is compromised of two volcanoes.  And looking at the shape of Maui, you might be reminded of a figure eight. To the West are the extinct West Maui mountains.  The highest peak Pu’u Kukui at 5,788 feet receives over three hundred inches of rainfall annually, sculpting sharp peaks and deep green emerald valleys.

The terrain is so wild that even today, parts of this area have never been explored.  The second volcano, mighty Haleakala. The House of the Sun rises over ten thousand feet above sea level, the largest dormant volcano in the islands, its summit crater is so large that it can swallow the entire island of Manhattan.

This isthmus between these two volcanoes gave Maui the nickname, the Valley Isle.  Almost every conceivable geological feature is found on Maui.  It might be surprising to note that the island has no rivers, but hundreds of streams.  Two of the largest are Palikea, which runs through Kipahulu Valley and Iao Stream, which over the centuries sculpted Iao Valley.

The second largest island in the Hawaiian chain, Maui is the only Hawaiian island named after a god and romantic legends have flourished.  One story tells of the demi-god Maui, who one day pulled all the Hawaiian Islands from the sea with his fishing hook.

It was this superman Maui who again snared the sun god, la, and released it only after elicting a promise that is would slow its passage, allowing the people ample warmth and time to fish and grow taro in their fields.

Today, the people of Maui along with many island visitors can enjoy these picture perfect days in our tropical paradise called Maui.

We’ll be back with more right after these messages.