Heavenly Hāna: A Brief History of Maui’s Most Secluded, Scenic Region

In my last blog post, I highlighted one of my new listings, an ocean-view home on a uniquely beautiful property in the Hāna area. As a follow-up, I thought it might be interesting to focus on Hāna’s rich history, to share some perspective about how such a special community came to be.

Situated on the windward side of Maui (giving it a rainforest climate and an incredibly lush, tropical environment), Hāna is known far and wide for its extraordinary natural beauty. This east Maui region on the slopes of Haleakalā preserves the feel of old Hawaiʻi like no other place in the islands.

The approximately 45-mile stretch of road from the town of Pāʻia into Hāna includes 59 bridges (many of which have just one lane) and more than 600 turns – along with waterfalls, stunning coastline views, and every type of vegetation imaginable, from ferns and ginger, to lilikoi (passionfruit) and poinsettia. Thanks its remote location, Hāna hasn’t experienced the kinds of development seen in other parts of Maui. As of the 2020 census, the area’s population totaled just over 1,500.

Hāna’s Earliest Days

Polynesian explorers (most likely from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands) are believed to have first settled in Hāna between 500 and 800 A.D. For hundreds of years afterward, local aliʻi (chiefs) continued to oversee the region. Much of the construction of the Piʻilanihale Heiau (place of worship) took place under one of Maui’s best-known aliʻi, Piʻilani. The heiau is the largest in Hawaiʻi and is well-preserved to this day.

Hāna was also the birthplace of Queen Kaʻahumanu (said to be the favorite wife of King Kamehameha I), who supported her husband’s efforts to unite all of the islands into a single kingdom. Kaʻahumanu learned to read and write from the missionaries who found their way into Hāna around 1820. After Kamehameha I’s death, when her son Liholiho (Kamehameha II) went to England, she served as acting regent (from 1823 to 1832) until Kamehameha III came of age. Kaʻahumanu also worked to abolish much of the kapu system, a set of traditions that prohibited behaviors like men and women eating together in public.

The Sugar Industry Comes to Hāna

The first sugar mill in Hāna began production in 1849. The sugar industry soon became the driving force in the area’s economy, with six plantations established by 1883. To support Hāna’s growth, Hasegawa General Store opened in 1910 – making it the oldest family-run business on Maui today! Hāna residents continue to depend on this cornerstone of the community for everything from groceries to hardware, fishing tackle, books, and clothing.

In 1910, work also began on a mud and gravel road that would connect Hāna with the rest of the island. The early stages of the work involved lowering men with ropes tied around their waist down the sides of sea cliffs so they could clear the way with explosives. After the completion of the “highway” in 1926, Hāna reached its peak population of over 3,000 residents.

Construction of a 339-foot pier was also completed in Hāna Bay in the 1920s, mainly for the purpose of transporting sugar. Because of the relative cheapness of foreign labor, though, all of Hāna’s sugar plantations had disappeared by the late 1940s, and the commercial activity in Hāna Bay essentially came to a standstill.

Hāna’s Transition to Tourism

In 1946, the six-room Kaʻuiki Inn, the first resort hotel on Maui, opened its doors in Hāna. The owner, Paul Fagan, had also founded a large cattle operation just two years before, which over time evolved into today’s 3,600-acre Hāna Ranch.

Fagan was from San Francisco, where he owned a baseball team (the San Francisco Seals), and he decided to bring the entire team to Hāna for spring training. Sportswriters who followed the team’s journey began to write about “heavenly Hāna,” encouraging tourism in the area. After Fagan’s death, his wife commissioned a 30-foot-tall stone cross (overlooking his ranchlands) as a memorial – and the 1-mile hike to Fagan’s Cross remains a popular tourist activity to this day.

Still in use for island-hopping flights, a small airport opened in Hāna in 1950. And in 1962, Hāna Highway was paved, making the region easier to access not just for residents, but for the increasing number of visitors.

Charles Lindbergh (world-renowned for completing the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic), became one of Hāna’s most famous residents when he moved to the area in 1968. He remained there until his death in 1974, and his grave (on the grounds of the Palapala Hoʻomau Church) continues to attract visitors from around the world.

Present-day travelers are drawn to Hāna primarily because of opportunities to see natural wonders like bamboo forests, waterfalls, a black sand beach, and a red sand beach. Likewise, its close-knit community of residents enjoys a quiet and slow-paced lifestyle with a strong connection to the ʻāina (land).

If you’d like to learn more about Hāna, Hāna real estate, or Maui homes for sale on other parts of the island, reach out to me today!

Leslie Mackenzie Smith, REALTOR(S), RS-42147