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Maui History Series · Central Maui

Central Maui History & Culture

Explore the working harbors, former airfields, roads, and gathering places that connect Maui’s central plain and coast. These stories trace Hawaiian travel and settlement alongside later plantation, military, commercial, and transportation layers.

Explore the collection Back to the Maui history map
Central Maui History & Culture landscape
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr source (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 license (opens in a new tab) · cropped and resized

Understanding the region

Maui’s transportation crossroads

Central Maui connects sea, air, road, commerce, and community. The collection shows how older Hawaiian places remained present as plantation infrastructure, wartime aviation, modern shipping, and urban growth transformed the central plain.

The complete regional collection

All Central Maui Stories

Open any chapter for a researched introduction, source links, and guidance for understanding the place with care.

History chapter Kahului Harbor From canoe landing to working port
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr source (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 license (opens in a new tab) · cropped and resized
History chapter Māʻalaea Harbor From canoe landing to ocean gateway
Photo: Brian Snelson source (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 license (opens in a new tab) · cropped and resized
History chapter Maui Dragstrip & Old Airport From wartime runway to raceway
Photo: Dicklyon source (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 license (opens in a new tab) · cropped and resized; derivative shared under CC BY-SA 4.0