Wailuku

Wailuku: Kaahumanu Church

Wailuku, city, seat of Maui county, northern Maui island, Hawaii, U.S. It is situated on an isthmus at the mouth of the Iao Valley and the base of Maui’s western mountains. With Kahului (east) it forms a contiguous area that is the most densely populated and busiest on the island. Iao Stream flows through the western part of the city. Wailuku (Hawaiian: “Water of Destruction”) recalls the Battle of Kepaniwai (1790), which added Maui to the kingdom of Kamehameha I. In the 19th century, missionaries settled in Wailuku; the Bailey Museum—housed in a missionary home built in 1833 in the area where Maui’s kings once lived—features Hawaiian and missionary-era artifacts, including Duke Kahanamoku’s 150-pound (80-kg) redwood surfboard. Sugar was long the mainstay of the economy, but its importance declined dramatically in the late 20th century. The city’s economy is now largely dependent on tourism, woodworking products, and hula supplies. Products are shipped from the port of Kahului. The Kepaniwai Park and Heritage Gardens contains re-creations of ancient Hawaiian homes and Chinese and Japanese gardens and Kaahumanu Church (1837; present building, 1876). The church was built to honour Queen Kaahumanu, who embraced Christianity and assisted its spread in Hawaii. Nearby is Halekii-Pihana Heiaus State Monument, which preserves two heiaus (ceremonial and religious structures) that were used by Kahekili, Maui’s last king; the temples were sometimes used for human sacrifices. Pop. (2000) 12,296; (2010) 15,313.