The demi-god Maui is a household name from Tonga to the Society Islands, to the Marquesas to Hawaii. Something of a trickster, Maui had a place in his heart for mortals and is celebrated throughout the Pacific for such feats as giving fire to humans (after stealing it from its supernatural guardians) and fishing the islands of the Pacific from out of their watery depths.

So great is his renown, in fact, that Maui is the only deity in Polynesia to currently have a major island named after him.

The demi-god Maui is a household name from Tonga to the Society Islands, to the Marquesas to Hawaii. Something of a trickster, Maui had a place in his heart for mortals and is celebrated throughout the Pacific for such feats as giving fire to humans (after stealing it from its supernatural guardians) and fishing the islands of the Pacific from out of their watery depths.

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Geography
So great is his renown, in fact, that Maui is the only deity in Polynesia to currently have a major island named after him. ("Currently," because the Hawaiian island of Kaho'olawe was in earlier times named for the god Kanaloa).

Formed by two giant shield volcanoes, when seen from above Maui even looks like the head and torso of a man. West Maui, the head, is the older portion of the island, and at one time the volcano that formed it was probably as large as Haleakala, the 10,023-foot-tall volcano whose flanks form the whole of East Maui's "body."

But time has done its part: Though it's estimated the volcano that formed Maui's head once had a crater some five miles across, eruptions, collapse and stream erosion so changed the landscape that Pu'u Kukui, the highest point in the West Maui mountains, now stands at 5,788 feet. The craggy landscape that replaced this once-massive volcano also helped give rise to Maui's nickname: "The Valley Isle."

Points of Interest
Over the millennia Maui's geography has changed even more drastically. Formed by six different volcanoes, the islands of Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe were once a single landmass known as Maui Nui ("Great Maui"). Rising sea levels eventually separated the islands, though they are still legally linked today — all are part of Maui County.

This varied landscape has led to an equally varied society: The central Maui town of Kahului/Wailuku is the island's business center; West Maui, with the sprawling beaches and upscale hotels of Ka'anapali and the historic whaling town of Lahaina, is one of Maui's major resort areas. South Maui is home to the island's other main resort district, Wailea; and while the tropical north shore of Maui does not offer hotels, visitors can choose from a collection of bed & breakfasts and rental homes.