Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Believe it or not, little Hana was once the epicenter of Maui, producing many of ancient
Hawaii's most influential
aliʻi
(chiefs). Hana's great 14th-century chief Piʻilani marched
from here to conquer rivals in Wailuku and Lahaina, and became the first leader of uni-
fied Maui. The paths he took became such vital routes that even today half of Maui's
highways bear his name.
The landscape changed dramatically in 1849 when ex-whaler George Wilfong bought
60 acres of land to plant sugarcane. Hana became a booming plantation town, complete
with a narrow-gauge railroad connecting the fields to the Hana Mill. Artist Georgia
O'Keeffe paid a visit in 1939 when she was hired by the Dole Pineapple Company to
paint canvases for an ad campaign. At that time there were six sugar plantations in Hana.
Later, in the 1940s, Hana could no longer compete with larger sugar operations in Cent-
ral Maui. All the plantations closed by the end of the decade.
Enter San Francisco businessman Paul Fagan, who purchased 14,000 acres in Hana in
1943. Starting with 300 Herefords, Fagan converted the canefields to ranch land. A few
years later he opened a six-room hotel as a getaway resort for well-to-do friends and
brought his minor-league baseball team, the San Francisco Seals, to Hana for spring
training. That's when visiting sports journalists gave the town its moniker, ʻHeavenly
Hana.'
Today, Hana Ranch, along with the Travaasa Hana, remains an important part of
Hana's economy and its hillside pastures graze some 1200 head of cattle worked by
Hawaiian
paniolo
. Bio-Logical Capital bought the ranch in 2012 and plans to continue
raising cattle while also exploring sustainable farming projects.
Beaches
Hana Beach Park
BEACH
Some towns have a central plaza. Hana's pulse beats from this bayside park. Families
come here to take the kids for a splash, to picnic on the black-sand beach and to strum
their ukuleles with friends.
When water conditions are very calm, snorkeling and diving are good out in the direc-
tion of the light beacon. Currents can be strong, and snorkelers shouldn't venture beyond
the beacon. Surfers head to
Waikoloa Beach
, at the northern end of the bay.
Sights
