Kaanapali

Kāʻanapali, Hawaiian for Kāʻana cliff, lies in the traditional land division of Hanakaʻōʻō on the leeward coast of West Maui, and the name of the canoe beach at the south end of the resort still recalls it. The remains of soldiers from both sides of a battle between rival chiefs are said to be buried in the sands of the Kāʻanapali district. Just to the south, Lahaina was the kingdom's capital and, in the 19th century, a busy whaling port where ships put in for water and food, until Kamehameha III moved the capital to Honolulu in 1845.

A narrow-gauge heritage railway, the Sugar Cane Train, ran between Lahaina and Puukolii with a stop at Kāʻanapali until its operator closed in 2014; its Lahaina station was destroyed in 2023. In the 1960s the company Amfac began building the Kaanapali Beach Resort on the mile-long beach a couple of miles north of Lahaina. Hotels opened through the 1970s and 1980s, condominiums followed for several miles up and down the coast, and Kāʻanapali had its own airport at the north end of the beach from 1965 until the Kapalua–West Maui airport replaced it in 1987.

On 8–9 August 2023 a wind-driven wildfire destroyed about 80 per cent of Lahaina and killed 102 people, the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii since statehood. Kāʻanapali was evacuated during later fires that month, and access to West Maui was restricted for a time. In 2024 Maui County released plans for rebuilding Lahaina's commercial district, infrastructure and affordable housing over about six years.

Kāʻanapali is a resort first, and its culture is shaped by visitors and the people who work for them. Luau, evening feasts of Hawaiian food with hula and music, are staged at several of the beachfront resorts, and the Hawaiian names of the beach, the land division and Black Rock — an ancient Hawaiian landmark at the north end of the beach — tie the resort to the older history of West Maui.

Winter is whale season. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, in the islands' waters, is one of the most important whale habitats in the world, hosting thousands of humpbacks each winter, and whale watching from boats and from the shore is the season's main activity. Snorkelling at Black Rock and golf on the resort's two courses fill the rest of the year.

Since 2023 the culture of the area has also been shaped by the destruction of much of Lahaina, its historic neighbour, including much of the historic district centred on Front Street; the town's great banyan tree was charred but left standing. Rebuilding Lahaina, and housing for those who lost their homes, are central concerns across West Maui.

The Kāʻanapali census-designated place had 1,161 residents at the 2020 census, a small permanent population in a place built for visitors. The wider Lahaina area, which takes in Kāʻanapali, had about 12,700 residents in 2020, before the fire.

Tourism is the whole economy here: hotels, condominiums, restaurants, golf and boat trips employ most of the people who work in the resort. Housing has been a pressing issue since 2023, when the fire damaged or destroyed more than 2,200 structures in Lahaina, most of them homes. After the fire, West Maui was closed to the public, then reopened at first only to residents with proof of residency and visitors with hotel reservations.

Daily rhythm follows the visitors and the weather — early swims and walks along the beachfront path, boat departures for snorkelling and whale watching, and sunset crowds along the beach. The leeward coast is sunny and dry, and the north end of the resort catches more breeze and rain than the south.

The food of Kāʻanapali is the food of Hawaii served in a resort setting. The luau menu brings together the traditional dishes: kalua pig roasted in an underground oven called an imu, poi of pounded taro, laulau wrapped in leaves and cooked in the imu, lomi salmon and haupia, a coconut cream pudding. Poke — rough-cut raw fish traditionally seasoned with seaweed, kukui nut and sea salt — is a local favourite.

The everyday food of West Maui residents is the plate lunch: one or two scoops of rice, macaroni salad and a main such as teriyaki beef or chicken katsu. Spam musubi and saimin noodle soup are local snacks, and shave ice, a block of ice shaved fine and flavoured with syrups, is the classic cooling sweet after the beach.

Maui also has Hawaii's first commercial winery, founded at Ulupalakua Ranch in 1974 and at first focused on pineapple wine.