Hana, Maui (Hawaii)

Hana History

500-800 AD: Polynesians arrive in Hawaii. 15th Century Pi'i-lani Heiau (Temple) is built (the largest in the state of Hawaii)
1768: Queen Ka'ahu-manu is born in a cave on the side of Ka-'uiki Hill. Most noted for her strong will and independence, she was the favorite wife of King Kamehameha I. See the site at Hana Bay.
1849: George Wilfong starts the first sugar cane mill in Hana near Ka-'uiki Hill.
1883

Six separate sugar plantations are in operation in Hana: Kaeleku Sugar Co., Hamoa Agri. Co., Kawaipapa Agri. Co., Hana Sugar Co., Reciprocity Sugar Co., and Haneoo Agri. Co.
1926: The Hana Highway is completed. The gravel road makes it possible for trucks and cars to travel from Hana to Kahului.
1900-1940: Hana is a bustling town, population 3,500. There are two movie theaters, 15 different stores, three barber shops, a pool hall and several restaurants.
1944: Paul Fagan stars The Hana Ranch with 14,000 acres of land and a herd of Herford cattle from Molokai.
1946 April 1: Tidal wave hits the Hana coast. 12 people die.
1946: The last sugar plantation closes, signaling the end of the sugar industry in Hana. Many families, unable to find work, move to the plantations on the other side of the island. Paul Fagan, a retired entrepreneur from San Francisco starts the Ka-'uiki Inn, now known as the Hotel Hana-Maui, in an attempt to attract tourists to the area.
1970: Paul Fagan dies. A lava rock cross is erected on a grassy hill overlooking Hana Town in his memory.
1974: The famous aviator Charles Lindbergh spends his last days in Hana before dying. He is buried in a quiet cemetary in Kipahulu.
1984: The Hotel Hana-Maui and Hana Ranch bought by the Rosewood Corporation of Dallas, Texas.
1989: The Hotel Hana-Maui and Hana Ranch are bought by the Keola Hana-Maui, an international investment group made up of Japanese, British and local investors.
July 2000: Meridian Financial Resources, an organization of Chicago-area investors, take control of the Hotel Hana-Maui and Hana Ranch from Keola Hana Maui.
January 2001: Meridian Financial Resources sells the 4,500 acre Hana Ranch to Hana Acquisition Partners, which is largely financed by the Ronald Getty Trust and Susan and Roy o'Connor.
August 2001: Passport Resorts of San Francisco buys the Hotel Hana Maui and associated Hana Town Center businesses. Passport Resorts also owns the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur and the Jean-Michael Cousteau Resort in Fiji.

Hana Legends
The quiet little town of Ke-'anae is legendary for its taro farming which has been passed down through generations of families. Legend tells of an industrialist King that turned the barren Ke-'anae Peninsula into a rich farming area where taro could be grown. Today, the Ke-'anae-Wai-lua area is one of the major commercial wetland taro farming regions in the state.

Taro is one of the staple foods of the Hawaiian culture. The whole taro plant can be eaten. The root can be steamed and pounded into poi or made into chips. The stems (Ha-Ha) are commonly cooked with meat, and the leaves can be steamed and eaten, having the taste and texture that is similar to spinach.