Maui
Many places claim the power to create memories that
will last a lifetime, but few fulfill the promise like the Island
of Maui. If it’s relaxation you're after, we've got it,
with near-perfect weather, great places to stay, uncrowded beaches
and a setting that inspires awe and a sense of wonder. If you
are looking for adventure and new experiences, we've got that
too. Discover Maui, where whale-filled seas meet heavenly beaches.
A place where the sun warms tropical trade winds that will blow
your troubles away. Snorkel in crystal-clear waters or play golf
on world-class courses of green, velvet perfection. Aloha and
welcome to Maui, the Magic Isle.
Maui No Ka 'Oi (Maui is the best) is what the locals
say, and visitors couldn't agree more. The island weaves a spell
over the more than 2 million people who visit its shores each
year, and many visitors decide to return for good.
The island was formed by two volcanos that erupted long ago --
the extinct 5,788-ft Pu'u Kukui and the dormant 10,023-ft Haleakala
(now the centerpiece of a national park). The resulting depression
between the two is what gives Maui its nickname, the Valley Isle.
Maui's volcanic history gives it much of its beauty. The roads
around the island are lined with rich red soil, Central Maui is
still carpeted with grassy green, and the deep blue of ocean and
sky mingles with the red and green of Maui's topography. And the
three planned resort communities along Maui's lee shore -- Kapalua,
Ka'anapali, and Wailea -- offer self-contained environments of
such luxury and beauty that the effect is almost surreal.
 
Every year, from December until April, Maui's favorite wintertime
visitors are in residence. The humpback whales, over 2,000 of
them, migrate from their summer feeding grounds in Alaska to the
warm and sheltered waters of the Hawaiian Islands.
While here they mate, nurse their newborn calves, and thrill
us as we watch 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.
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