Facts about Maui:

Maui also known as the "Valley Isle" is the 2nd largest island in the Hawaiian chain, with over 700 square miles of breathtaking scenery and coastline. The island of Maui was actually formed by two separate volcanoes, one being Mt. Haleakala which is the worlds largest dormant volcano. Haleakala rises to over 10,000 feet with sloping hills and wind swept terrain. The second of Maui's volcanoes is Puu Kukui, which is located on the west side of the island and receives over 400 inches of rainfall annually.

Below are other interesting facts about Maui.

The main airport is in Kahului at the center of Maui. There is also a smaller airport in Kapalua (West Maui), and a commuter airport in Hana.

Driving Times from Kahului Airport:

* Haleakala - 1 hour 45 minutes
* Hana - 2 hours 30 minutes
* Ka'anapali - 50 minutes
* Kihei - 20 minutes
* Lahaina - 45 minutes
* Wailea - 35 minutes
* Wailuku - 10 minutes

General:

* The island of Maui got its name from the Hawaiian demi-god of the same name who as legend has it, pulled the Hawaiian islands up from the sea with his fishing hook. It is the only island in the chain presently named after a demi-god.

* Before the Ice Age, Maui was comprised of the islands of Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe. Known as "Maui Nui," the island "separated" with the thaw of the Ice Age as rising water levels filled in between the present islands.

* Maui was once home to the Royal Kingdom of Hawai'i, and Lahaina was its capital city. King Kamehameha I, II and III ruled from here until Kamehameha III moved to the royal seat of the Kingdom to Honolulu in 1845. King Kamehameha's favorite wife, Queen Ka'ahumanu was born in Hana.

* Population on Maui, over 120,000 full-time residents (in 1998) with roughly 35,000 more part-time residents/visitors on average.

* Hawaii is 6 hours behind East Coast time during the summer and 5 hours behind during the winter. The state of Hawaii does not participate in Daylight Savings Time.

* In the months of December through April, giant Humpback whales come to Maui's warm waters to frolic, mate and bear their young. Many companies offer whale watching trips during this time.

* In the last few years, Maui has become the most popular honeymoon island -offering couples warm tropical evenings filled with aroma of plumeria, pristine white-sand beaches, sparkling waterfalls that invite for a swim and romantic sunset sails.

* Principal Resort Areas: In West Maui the principal resort areas are Ka’anapali and Kapalua; South Maui’s prime resorts are Makena and Wailea.

* Maui has been voted “Best Island in the World” by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine for ten consecutive years and “World’s Best Island” by the readers of Travel & Leisure magazine for five years.

Geography:

* Maui is approximately 48 miles long and 26 miles across at its widest point, totaling 728 square miles and is the 2nd largest of the Hawaiian Islands.

* The world's largest dormant volcano of Haleakala (House of the Sun) dominates the island's landscape. The upcountry meadows and roads falling away from the crater are a favorite area for hiking, biking and horseback riding.

* The steepest paved road in the world is on Maui. From sea level in Paia to the summit of Haleakala is only 38 miles.

* Ecologically Maui is one of the most diverse places on Earth, having 10 out of the 13 known ecosystems.

* Maui has over 80 beaches and offers more miles of swimmable beaches than any other Hawaiian Island.

* Maui has the 2nd highest waterfall in the United States.

Sports:

* Maui is home to a dozen championship golf courses designed by the likes of Nicklaus, Palmer, Jones and Norman. Maui also hosts 3 major PGA golf tournaments a year:
* Mercedes Championship at Kapalua
* Wendy's Champions Skins Game at Wailea
* Senior PGA EMC Ka'anapali Classic

* The Maui Invitational is the most prestigious pre-season NCAA basketball tournament in the U.S. and is held every November in the Lahaina Civic Center.

* Maui hosts the Hula Bowl, a college football all-star game held in January.

* Three of the world's most grueling races are held on Maui. Nissan's Xterra Race is featured every year over the rough terrain of Maui and is the equivalent of an "off-road" triathlon. "Run to the Sun" and "Cycle to the Sun" utilizes the road to the summit of Haleakala as its brutal and demanding course.

* Maui is considered the windsurfing capital of the world and hosts the World Championships every year at Ho'okipa Park in Ku'au.

* Maui boasts some wonderful SCUBA diving locations, most of which are accessible right off the beach with the best shore dives off the South and West sides. Molokini Crater, located a little over 2 miles off the Makena Coast, is generally considered the best wall-dive in America.

Weather:

* Average year round temperature 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit.

* Average water temperature year round is upper 70's to low 80's.

* South Maui is the perfect area on Maui for sun-seekers. Sunny and dry even when the rest of the island may be cloudy or rainy, South Maui with the resort towns of Kihei, Wailea and Makena is warm in the winter and a bit warmer in the summer with fairly constant tropical breezes.

* East Maui is considered part of the windward side of the island and sees a steady stream of rainfall. The famous little town of Hana is located in East Maui and the prevailing rainfall contributes to the overabundance of waterfalls and lush rainforest.

* West Maui which is comprised of Lahaina, Ka'anapali, Napili and Kapalua gets a little more wind and rain than South Maui, which is protected by 10,000' Haleakala.

AREAS of Interest:

Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve covers 2040ac (826ha) and has lava tide pools, coastal lava tubes and all the aa (rough, jagged lava) you could ever want to see. It has been designated a natural area reserve because of its distinctive marine life habitat and its unique geological features, including anchialine pools and kipukas ('islands' of land spared but surrounded by lava flows). The remains of a coastal Hawaiian village - its old sites marked by walled and terraced platforms - sit between lava flows at Ahihi Bay.

Kula, the centre of Maui's Upcountry and just off Hwy 37, is the agricultural heartland of the island. Crops such as lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower and cabbage thrive, due to Kula's warm days, cool nights and rich volcanic soil, and no Hawaiian gourmet would be without sweet Kula onions. The area also grows most of Hawaii's proteas, carnations and chrysanthemums - no one would get leid in Hawaii if it weren't for Kula. During the California Gold Rush in the 19th century, Kula's farmers shipped so many potatoes off to the miners that the area became known as Nu Kaleponi, or New California.

All of Kula is a garden, but if you want to take a closer look, you can visit several established walk-through gardens. Clouds' Rest Protea Farm has a little garden with plants identified by plaques. Kula Botanical Gardens is a mature garden of tropical plants, overgrown and shady, while the more recently established Enchanting Floral Gardens is sunny, open and colourful. The University of Hawaii maintains an Agricultural Research Center here that specialises in developing new protea hybrids. If you feel the need to offer thanks for this floral abundance, the octagonal Holy Ghost Church (built in 1897 by Portuguese immigrants) has a beautifully ornate Iberian interior.

Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area is high up in the Kula Forest Reserve on the western slope of Haleakala. The park is in a coniferous forest and has picnic tables, camping and a network of trails. The road to the park, Waipoli, is a narrow, switchbacking one-lane road through tree groves and open rangeland. Layers of clouds often drift in and out; when they lift, you'll get panoramic views across green rolling hills to the islands of Lanai and Kahoolawe. Few people venture up this way, and, except for the symphony of birdcalls, everything is still. Miles of hiking trails will take you deep into woods of pine, cedar, eucalyptus and native forest.